


Life Goes On

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Birth of a Dragon [4]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Deities, F/M, Familiars, Moral Dilemmas, Sexual Frustration, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-07-28 15:13:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 49,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16244261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: With the GCTI finally backing off, believing to have successfully killed him and his unit, Takeshi sets out to fulfill his promise to Maria, seeking out her daughter and bringing her the truth.But bringing her the truth brings her into his life, and the spirited young woman quickly settles like a hurricane.





	1. The Promise

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Promise_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Alaska July 14 2035  


Two shadows stalked through the underbrush, slowly creeping up on the unsuspecting moose, a sudden rush of activity and one life was extinguished to sustain another.  
_“You stole the kill again.”  
_ Her thoughts held a distinct tone of a pout.  
_“Only because you are such a slowpoke, you need to make better use of those claws of yours. Not to mention those oversized daggers you got stuck in your maw.”_  
Powerful jaws clamped down and pulled the carcass to a nearby clearing and onto the travois that waited there before the large black wolf shimmied into the harness and began to pull it towards the den.  


“Isso, Sumi, welcome back!”  
Amarok called out with a smile as they returned to the campsite with their prey, he quickly grabbed the harness from Takeshi and pulled the travois to the side and began to prepare the large bull for the feast.  
It was Kasumi's 40th birthday and Takeshi had made some plans for the evening, a large fire-pit had been dug the previous day and dressed with stones, a fire had been burning all day and all night to heat the stones and produce a good coal bed for the cooking.  
Amarok quickly gutted and skinned the carcass, taking care of everything that could be used. Various cuts of meat were wrapped in herbs and grass before being loaded into the fire-pit and the pit covered with heavy hides and sand, at the top of the pit fish and various vegetables that requires shorter cooking would be added later.  


“A healthy bull, you did well.”  
Amarok praised them for the large bull moose they had felled, it was not an easy task for just two hunters, even ones as fast, large and strong as Takeshi and Kasumi.  
“He cheated again...”  
Kasumi grumbled which made Amarok laugh.  
“He may be stronger than you, but you are faster, and your form more suited for killing prey alone. You need to make use of that if you are to best him.”  
Amarok scolded her lightly while preparing the heart and liver for Takeshi, it was the price awarded to the hunter who claimed the kill.  
When they hunted as a pack with the wolves everyone shared equally in the favored treats, but when Takeshi and Kasumi hunted alone it was more of a competition, it had been Takeshi's idea to try to get Kasumi to put more effort into it.  
The pout when Amarok handed Takeshi the plate had both males snickering at her.  
“Happy birthday Sumi.”  
Takeshi only took a few slices of each organ before handing the plate to Kasumi.  
_“Itadakimasu.”_  
She quickly gobbled down most of the raw meat with a brilliant smile before offering about a quarter of each to Amarok as a sign of gratitude and respect for everything he had done for them.  
Amarok only took a single slice of each though before passing the plate back to Takeshi, who in turn took a single slice of each and returned it to Amarok who made short work of the meat.  
I might have looked a bit odd, but it was a way to enforce their positions in the pack, Amarok was simply showing his respect, and submission, to Takeshi as the dominant alpha of their pack, and Takeshi accepted that by taking a slice for himself before giving it back to Amarok as a sign of his respect and gratitude for his elder.  


As the food was almost ready Takeshi went into the sanctuary to fetch the drinks.  
During the first year Amarok had taught him how to brew a simple mead from honey and wild yeasts and since then he had made his own variations using various herbs, fruits and berries as well as wild grains and roots.  
He had also managed to make a pretty decent saké thanks to the Mother, or more precisely the crystals of her Sanctuary which allowed him to create the perfect environment.  
They could easily have gone to Fairbanks to buy things but this was their last night at the sanctuary, come Monday they would be leaving for _civilization_ so they had decided to have a more traditional party, entirely of the land.  


He had been living with Amarok and the pack for a little over 10 years and it was now time to fulfill his promises, first out would be his promise to Maria, to make sure her daughter knew the truth of her mother.  
With the help of Amarok's contacts he had located her and watched over her from a distance.  
They had found that her grandparents had adopted her, and as far as the information they found went she believed them to be her birth-parents.  
As her 20th birthday was coming up at the 28th, an age where she by the Kiryu standards would be considered fully adult,Takeshi figured it was as good a time as any to find her and tell her the truth.  
So they would be leaving for Seattle where they would stash the Blackout, obtain new identities, make hotel reservations and then continue to Gothenburg on a commercial flight.  
“Take? What's taking so long?”  
Kasumi's voice calling from the entrance of the Sanctuary brought him out of his musings and he quickly gathered up the bottles from the pool where they had been stored to keep them cold.  
“Coming, just grabbing the drinks.”  
He called back as he started walking toward the tunnel.  
“Hmph, and you call me a slowpoke.”  
She teased as she grabbed a few of the bottles from his arms and began walking back toward the cave exit and the waiting feast.  


“I will miss having you around. Both of you.”  
Amarok raised a toast to Takeshi and Kasumi.  
“You will be missed as well.”  
Kasumi returned the toast with a wistful smile.  
“Bet you'll love having the den to yourself again though.”  
Takeshi quipped as he raised his glass.  
“It will indeed be a most welcome reprieve.”  
Kasumi instantly broke down laughing while Takeshi huffed and drank to Amarok's equally teasing counter.  
The night continued in the same spirit as they drank, laughed and remembered the time they had spent together.  
There were some tense moments though, especially anything touching on Sarisha and the cubs.  
After the loss of their youngest Sarisha had retreated within her instincts, refusing to take human form again, and once the cubs were old enough to travel she returned home to the Saber-tribe's land in Sudan, she had asked him not to seek her out, to allow her to overcome the pain and find herself again.  


“We will be back by fall to help filling up the stores.”  
Takeshi paused at the entrance to the caves to say a last goodbye to Amarok.  
“Thank you Isso.”  
Takeshi paused for a moment, considering what to do, then he made up his mind.  
“Jiji, may I have your permission to kiss you goodbye?”  
“You may.”  
There was laughter in Amarok's voice, he had clearly been waiting for the question and he waited patiently as Takeshi leaned in and kissed him goodbye.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Promise_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Gothenburg, Sweden July 19 2035  


Clear blue skies with the occasional white cloud greeted them as the plane touched down in Gothenburg and they decided to have a courier bring their luggage to the hotel and walk there themselves, enjoying the weather and the ocean breeze, since combustion engines had been banned within the city limits 8 years ago unless with a special, very expensive permit, the air was now clean and crisp and the gentle scent of the ocean could be sensed even in the central parts of the city.  
After a few hours wandering around the city they went to the hotel to get some rest and make plans for confronting Maria's daughter, Emelie Eriksson.  
They knew where she lived and thanks to various social media sites they had recent pictures so they knew what to look for, but Takeshi was still unsure how to approach her, what he was there to tell her was no easy thing to tell someone.  


“I'm going to watch Emelie myself for a while. The owls have been good at keeping an eye at her, but some things you really need to see for yourself.”  
“Be careful out there.”  
“I will. I'm going to borrow the form of the raven and watch her.”  
At one time Eriksson had told him about the ravens in Sweden, for a while they had nearly gone extinct, but conservation projects and breeding programs had allowed the birds to reestablish themselves, and now the major cities all had a healthy population of the impressive birds.  
“Wouldn't a crow of a jackdaw be less noticeable?”  
“It would, but you know how hard it is for me to take on small forms.”  
He would always be larger than normal for the species, and the smaller the species the more noticeable it was.  
“Be careful...”  
The repeated request made Takeshi smile and kiss her on the forehead.  
“Don't worry, I will.”  


It was still dark outside when Takeshi took the form of the raven and waited for Kasumi to open the door to the balcony of their hotel suite.  
_“Ki o tsukete.”  
_ When she once again told him to be careful he just answered her with a soft caw before flying toward the suburb where Eriksson's family had moved.  
Landing in one of the many trees in the small neighborhood he waited for the family to wake up.  
The moment the roller blind on the top floor rolled up and revealed a young woman Takeshi could feel Eriksson's spirit stir.  
_“My baby girl... My Emelie... She is so beautiful...”  
“She is. But please Maria, it's hard for me to handle the drain of you manifesting while I'm in this form.”_  
He could feel her spirit pull back with a mix of apology and disappointment.  
“Don't worry Maria, I will be able handle the drain when I go to talk to her.”  
A flicker of gratitude and hope was the last thing he felt before the spirit went silent.  
While Emelie showered and got dressed Takeshi watched the grandparents prepare breakfast.  
When they carried the food into the garden he took the opportunity to move closer, checking how they would react if they noticed.  
_“Titta, en korp.”_  
Emelie was clearly observant as she quickly spotted him and when she did she cut a piece of the smoked salmon on her sandwich and tossed it in his direction.  
_“Emmy, måste du mata varenda kråka du ser”?  
“Det är en korp, inte en kråka. Jag har aldrig sett en korp så nära.”_  
Takeshi didn't understand all that much of what was being said, but he did understand they were arguing about crows versus ravens, and that Emelie wanted a closer look at him so he jumped down from his perch and made short work of the piece of fish.  
_“Kom kom...”_  
She was calling out with a soft, cooing, voice while holding out half a boiled egg for him and his curiosity got the better of him and he carefully hopped over toward the table, ignoring the obvious objections of the grandparents.  
_“Kom här, det är ingen fara. Jag kommer inte göra illa dig.”_  
Again he understood the tone of voice more than the words, but he did understand she was telling him it was safe, that she wasn't going to hurt him.  
He could feel the brilliant joy in her aura when he jumped up on the bench next to her and carefully moved close enough to peck at the yolk of the offered egg.  
_“Såja. Stilla. Ingen fara.”_  
She kept cooing softly at him as she slowly moved her right hand closer to him and the joy in her aura was mixed with a slight anticipation and excitement only to switch back to a brilliant joy when her fingers softly brushed against his feathers.  
He allowed the touch for a few moments before cawing at her and jumping away and flying back up onto the roof of the house.  
_“Usch, gå och tvätta händerna. Vette gudarna vad för sjukdomar den där saken bär på. Förväxta sopråttor med vingar.”  
“Mamma! Nu har du blandat ihop kråkfåglar med duvor och måsar.”_  
Takeshi watched as Emelie scolded her grandmother in a somewhat teasing manner, though he was unsure about what, as far as I understood it was something about comparing ravens to rats as she headed back inside the house.  


When she came back out she was wearing a light weight rider suit with hybrid armor and carrying a helmet and a backpack, she obviously intended to enjoy the summer weather by driving herself into the city rather than taking the tram.  
Takeshi couldn't help feeling pleased that she was wearing a full armored riding suit despite the hot weather, he had seen plenty of motorcyclists that would forego proper protection and only wear their street clothes and a helmet.  
_“Ses ikväll!”  
“Kör försiktigt!”  
“Alltid!”  
_ The quick exchange was clearly a goodbye, and a request to drive carefully and she walked over to the attached garage and soon she appeared with an electric motorcycle and took off toward the city.  


He watched her run errands all over the city before heading to a small café where ordered lunch, a big baguette stuffed with meats, vegetables and some kind of creamy sauce and on a whim he approached her as she sat down in the small inner garden.  
Corvids were known for their intelligence, and for recognizing a meal ticket when they found one and it wouldn't be the first time someone got stalked for feeding one, there were even cases of corvids deciding to court humans.  
Getting closer he cawed at her and she instantly looked up and smiled.  
_“Nejmen hej på dig du.”_  
She greeted him with a smile before looking closer at him.  
_“Hmm, jag tror bestämt du är samma rackare som hälsade på för frukost.”  
_ She laughed as she recognized him from the same morning before cutting away a piece of her baguette and placing it on the other end of the table.  
_“Vad sägs om lite lunch?”_  


He quickly jumped down and started eating the offered treat, listening to the amused whispers of some of the other guests, no one seemed to mind though.  
Emelie kept talking to him as well, telling him about her day and he wished he had asked her mother to teach him Swedish properly, or thought to study it himself, but he hadn't.  
When he had eaten most of the food she had given him she reached out toward him again, offering him a piece of roast beef and as he moved closer to take it she reached out as if to touch him again, but hesitated.  
It would seem she was worried that touching him had made him leave.  
He flicked his wings and puffed his feathers in invitation, but she clearly didn't speak raven too well so he opted for a more direct approach and hopped over and bumped his head against her hand, inviting her to touch.  
Once again her aura shifted from hesitant curiosity to brilliant joy as she brushed her fingers over the feathers on his head and his instincts responded strongly, puffing his feathers and bowing his head to give her better access.  
It felt good to have someone sift through his feathers, really good, and after a while he ducked slightly and hopped to the side with another soft caw.  
This time she didn't react with disappointment though, instead she just laughed and tossed him another scrap of roast beef before finishing her own meal.  


After her lunch she drove across the city to a tailor where she spent several hours looking at clothes before deciding on an asymmetric halterneck that Takeshi guessed was for her birthday.  
When she exited the tailor store he noticed that she looked around, scanning the trees along the street so he cawed loudly and she instantly zeroed in on him with a smile.  
_“Misstänkte att jag skulle hitta dig nånstans i närheten.”  
_ Her voice was clearly amused and she kept talking to him while walking toward her motorcycle.  
Takeshi stayed with her all day and didn't leave until she was sound asleep back in her home.  
Once she was sleeping he headed back to the hotel where Kasumi waited with a large meal to help him replace the energy spent to maintain his raven form.  


“So how was your day?”  
“It was interesting...”  
He knew the intentionally vague answer would set her of and true to character she instantly came down on him.  
“Oh no you don't, come on, spill it.”  
“Like I said, it was interesting.”  
He couldn't help teasing a bit before telling her about his day.  


Takeshi spent most of the following week watching Emelie go about her life, though, he interacted with her a lot more than he had originally planned, but it did give him a better feel for her personality and he liked what he was feeling.  
She was intelligent, down right brilliant, and she had a gentle, caring heart, but she was not soft in any way.  
She didn't hesitate to stand up for herself, and others, as had become obvious when she was waiting for the tram one evening and a group of young men started harassing her an a few other girls and women waiting.  
She had a glorious temper, just like her mother and wielded a razor sharp tongue when set off, he had watched her verbally rip the offending youths a new one, though not without a certain concern.  
Her small size made him concerned that they would try to simply silence her by force, but the first one to try quickly regretted touching her as she used her size to evade him, going under his reach and delivering a vicious kick to his knee which brought him down, and by the time he was on the ground she was several steps away.  
The owls had told him she trained self defense, but they hadn't been able to gauge her skill, but Takeshi got a feeling she was pretty good, and she had confidence in her ability to protect herself which was a good sign.  


A week later Takeshi decided it was time to approach her.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Promise_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Emelie? Emelie Eriksson?”  
He called out as he approached the bench where she was sitting.  
She turned to him with a smile and looked slightly surprised for a moment before responding.  
_“Vem undrar?”_  
His Swedish was improving rapidly and he knew she had asked who he was.  
“I am Takeshi Kiryu but you can call me Take, and I have something important I need to talk to you about, about your family.”  
She looked startled for a moment before continuing in English,  
“I don't know you so how do you know me?”  
Suspicion was obvious in her voice and posture and a distinct scent of worry filled the air around them.  
“Is there a café or restaurant nearby where we can talk a bit more privately?”  
He knew of course there was the perfect place just a block away, the place where she went nearly every day and he was hoping she would suggest it as the familiar place would make her feel safer and make this easier.  
She was silent for a while as she was thinking about it, Takeshi assumed she was trying to decide if he could be trusted or not.  


Emelie had noticed the man the moment he stepped off the tram onto the small square.  
He was absolutely gorgeous and the crisp suit was obviously tailor made, there was no way a guy his size would get such a fit off-the-rack, the lightly tinted rimless shades matched his style well, he obviously knew how to dress to impress.  
His long hair only made him stand out even more and it was obvious he wasn't local.  
She watched him look around the square, but when he walked over toward her she looked away, she didn't want to be caught ogling him.  
The last thing she expected was for him to address her, the way he said her name sounded odd though.  
She asked who he was, and when he answered her in English it became obvious why it had sounded odd, he had said her name the way an English speaker would.  
He claimed to know something important about her family and something told her to trust him, and she had a horrible feeling that he was there to tell her that her sister was dead.  


“I understand that you are hesitant to trust me since you don't know me. If you prefer we can talk here, but what I have to say is of a rather personal nature so somewhere a bit more private would be preferred.”  
A few more moments of silence and then she pointed toward the café.  
“There's a café about a block away that way, we could go there.”  
Takeshi nodded and gestured for her to show the way and she began walking but then stopped for a moment before adding over her shoulder,  
“And by the way, you're buying.”  
“Hai Hai...”  
His response caused her to turn with a puzzled look.  
“Ah sorry, I tend to slip back to Japanese on occasion. Yes, of course I will take the bill.”  
He quickly explained.  
“How is that? Your name is Japanese and you apparently speak Japanese but you don't look very Japanese?”  
Of all the things she could have asked this was one question he was not prepared for and it made him laugh.  
“Simple, I'm adopted. I was born in LA but my parents were killed in an accident and I was adopted by a Japanese couple who took me to Okinawa and raised me as their own.”  
“Odd, I thought the US banned international adoptions back in 2006, pretty sure I read about it in school.”  
“Lets just say I look pretty damn good for my age.”  
He retorted with a smirk as he held open the café door for her.  


Emelie found that she wanted to trust the man, while he came across as serious and business like there was something about his easy smile and the glint of humor in his eyes that made her feel safe, but she knew better than to trust such a feeling too easily.  
Predators tended to be very good at appearing harmless and _safe_.  
So she brought him to her favorite café, the staff knew her and she knew they would help her if she got a bad vibe from him at any time.  


After ordering a light meal they sat down at a secluded table in a small inner yard at the back of the café.  
“So, what is it you need to tell me that's so important?”  
She was blunt and straight to the point, much like her mother had been.  
“First off, how much do you know about your family?”  
He had to find out if they had told her anything about her birth mother or anything about what had really happened when Maria was forced into GCTI service.  
She hesitated for a while, poking at her food before deciding to trust him.  
“Well, it's me, my mom Anneli, and my dad Stefan. I have a sister, Maria, somewhere but no one knows if she's even alive anymore. Mom had her when she was very young and I came a lot later, apparently she couldn't handle getting a sister at 22 so she stole all the money and jewelry in the house and took of with dad's car, no one has heard from her after that.”  


It took everything Takeshi had to maintain his fully human form and not to growl when he heard the lies her grandparents had told her.  
“What I have to tell will not be easy hear but I want you to listen without interrupting and I'm telling you beforehand that I have the proof to support what I'm about to tell you.”  
He took the tablet out of his bag and placed it between them on the table.  
“And for what it's worth, I am truly sorry about this.”  
There really was no way to say this gently so he decided to be blunt and handle the fallout once he was done.  
“Maria is dead, she was murdered 10 years ago. But she was not your sister, she was your mother.”  
At this Emelie was about to voice her protest but he interrupted her.  
“Please, let me finish.”  
She backed down but was glaring at him as he continued.  
“It is true that Maria was a thief, and a damn good one. But she did not steal from your grandparents. That skill however is why she had to leave, the GCTI became interested in her and wanted to recruit her but she was refusing them, when you were born they used you to blackmail her into joining. Your grandparents adopted you and moved from Stockholm to Gothenburg and it seems they never told anyone you were adopted.”  
Takeshi took a deep breath to steady himself, it was harder than he had thought to tell this story.  
“I had been recruited much the same way and met her during training, as time went on she became a good friend and a member of my team, 10 years ago we were sent on a mission in Alaska but it was a trap, we had become too good and the GCTI feared what they had created and decided to kill us. They set us up and the rest of the team was killed, your mother begged me with her dying breath, made me promise to find you and make sure you knew the truth.”  


“Wait.”  
This time he did not stop her but let her ask what was on her mind.  
“If she died 10 years ago then why are you here now? Why didn't you come earlier?”  
This was questions he had expected and he gave her the answers she was seeking.  
“I also promised her to make sure you were safe, and seeking you out before I was sure the GCTI truly believed us to be dead would put you at risk. There was also a threat against my family that I had to keep in mind.”  
As he spoke Emelie reached for the tablet and began reading through the documents on it, all the dirty little secrets, all the lies that had been told.  
Once she was done reading she put it down and sat in silence for a long time, he could feel the turmoil in her aura and he reached out with his own, wrapping it around her to offer what comfort he could while she tried to digest what she had found out.  


She didn't want to believe what he had told her, but the documents he showed her were convincing, and according to them she had been lied to her entire life, the woman she believed to be her sister had in fact been her mother.  
And the explanation she had been given as to why she was not around had been mostly lies as well.  
She recalled the time she had found the old photo album with pictures of Maria hidden in the attic and she had asked who the young woman was.  
The ones she believed to be her parents had told her it was her sister, told her she had stolen a lot of stuff and ran away.  
Seeing the picture of Maria that had been taken shortly before her death had been a bit of a shock, she realized she looked so much like her, and it was obvious that the man Maria was leaning against was the same man that was now seated across the table.  
And she couldn't help noticing how happy Maria looked, she obviously loved him, and the way he looked at her had Emelie convinced he had loved Maria as well.  


Half an hour later he could feel her aura shift into determination and she looked up at him.  
“I need to talk to them, ask what they have to say, confront them with the evidence you brought. Will you come with me? I don't think I can do it on my own.”  
She looked so fragile sitting there, he could smell the unshed tears and pain, but he could also feel the same strength and determination her mother had always carried.  
“Of course I will, whatever you need, I will do whatever I can to help, I promised I would protect you and I intend to keep that promise to the best of my ability.”  
They left the café and headed toward the tram that would take them to the suburb where her grandparents lived.  
“Have you thought of what you want to ask them?”  
“Yeah, I have a few questions ready.”  
“Would you mind telling me what they are?”  
“Of course not.”  
She quickly listed her questions, and Takeshi added a few suggestions of his own.  
“Emelie, could you repeat each question in Swedish for me? It would help me understand and keep up with the conversation a bit.”  
“You understand quite a bit of Swedish, don't you?”  
“Not really, your mother taught me some. But I am very good at reading people which gives me a bit of an edge. I wish I had asked her to teach me more...”  
“You loved her, didn't you?”  
“I did... A lot...”  
Feeling a small hand slide into his own made Takeshi smile and wrap his fingers around it and give it a gentle squeeze, accepting the offered support, and offering some in return.  
Emelie was probably in quite a bit of shock at the moment though, the reality of things not setting in just yet.  
He had a feeling she would be crashing later.  


As Emelie confronted her _parents_ with the truth Takeshi stood back at the doorway, waiting, watching, listening to them trying to maintain the lie, even when she showed the evidence they kept denying it.  
It took most of his focus trying to understand as much as he could of what was being said and reading their reaction to see if their answers were truth or lies, as far as he could tell they kept telling lies about Maria, and the way her spirit stirred confirmed it.  
He was about to lose control when Emelie did, and it was a glorious thing to witness, with cold fury in her voice she demanded they proved to her that they were really her parents by submitting to a DNA test.  
Their adamant refusal to do so telling her all she needed to know and she told them so before storming out and Takeshi followed her to a small copse of trees behind the house.  


As she sat down on a large rock he could smell her tears finally falling and he sat down next to her, offering his support should she want it and as she leaned into him he realized just how small she was.  
She had her mother's shapes and most of her looks, though her hair a colder, more platinum hue, and her eyes more of a greenish blue rather than her mother's sky-blue hue, but where Maria had been tall Emelie was petite, downright tiny.  
And as her crying became more desperate he lifted her into his lap and found that she fit easily into his lap and there, shielded by his arms and his aura the pain of betrayal and loss poured from her very soul.  
Takeshi was somewhat distracted though, distracted by how perfectly she fit into his lap, and how right it felt to hold her.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Promise_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


It was a while since the sun had set when Emelie began to stir in his lap where she had fallen asleep from exhaustion, she looked disoriented for a moment before the day's events came back to her and she groaned.  
“I need somewhere to sleep, I can't go back in there. Could you take me back into the city and help me find a cheap hotel for the night?”  
“Of course, but might I make a suggestion? Kasumi and I have a large suite at one of the hotels by the coast, you can stay the night with us and then we can worry about what to do in the morning.”  
He offered and hoped that she would accept, he wanted to keep an eye on her and it would be easier if she was at their hotel than if he had to hide and watch her from the shadows.  
“Who is Kasumi?”  
“It's a bit complicated, but you could consider her as my sister. If you want me to I can explain it in more detail later.”  
“Hmm, maybe it would be a good idea not to be alone tonight. I guess I could if it is okay with you guys.”  


She was a bit surprised with herself when she realized she trusted him, she had only met him less than a day ago and she already trusted him more than anyone she could think of.  
He said he would help her, that he had promised to protect her, and she believed him, she had a feeling he would stop at nothing to keep his promises.  


“It's settled then. Is there anything you want from your house before we go?”  
“My tablet, but I'm not going to go in there to get it, I'm so **not** ready for that.”  
She sighed deeply as she looked at the dark house.  
“I can get it for you, it's in your room, right?”  
“Yeah, it is. But how are you going to get in without them noticing, I'm sure they armed the security system by now and I would bet they have already locked my code out, dad, em, grandpa, is really big on sec...”  
Whatever she was going to say next was lost as she squealed when Takeshi suddenly stood up, bringing her with him before setting her back down on the rock.  
“Don't worry about that, there is a reason after all why GCTI forced me into their service, and I did learn quite a few things about breaking into places from your mother and one of the other members of my unit was very good with electronic security. Trust me, they won't know I was there.”  
He dropped his jacket over her shoulders before slipping away into the dark night.  
The Sayuri burned as he tapped into Daniels's computer skills to bypass the electronic surveillance system and after a moment's consideration he also placed a back door into the system, it would allow him to remotely access their home network and computers.  
Once the system was offline it only took a few moments to get into Emelie's room and grab her tablet, he also grabbed one of her jackets from the wardrobe, it could get chilly on the way to the hotel.  


Emelie jumped slightly and cursed at him in Swedish when he suddenly appeared in front of her and handed her her tablet and the jacket, she had been so deep in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed him returning.  
“Thanks, I didn't even think of that.”  
She handed his jacket back and wrapped herself in her own before suddenly blushing as her body loudly reminded them that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and even then she had barely touched her food.  
“How about we find you something to eat first?”  
He smiled as she sputtered before finding her voice, and the proper language.  
“You are horrible, you know that?”  
His only response was to reach out his hand with a smirk and she took it while shaking her head at him and he pulled her up from the rock.  
She followed him toward the tram stop and they sat in silence waiting for the next tram back into the inner city.  
As they walked up to the steakhouse that Takeshi had found a few days prior Emelie suddenly hesitated.  
“This place? Are you sure? It's like super expensive.”  
“Don't worry about the cost, My wallet can handle it. And unless you feel like fast-food, and quite frankly, I rather not, there isn't much to choose from at this hour.”  


Takeshi had tried the place a few days earlier after hearing that it supposedly served good quality meat and that there was no problem getting it cooked to taste, even if you wanted it served blue, or even tartar.  
He found it to be beyond expectations and when he asked to thank his chef in person for a meal perfectly done he found, much to his amusement, that the head chef was a lycan, one of many variants of shapeshifters blessed by the Mother.  
Once they had been seated and given the menu he noticed Emelie glancing at the price listings for every item in there and he quickly grabbed it from her hands, took out the paper insert and folded it to hide the prices and tucked the paper back before giving it back to her.  
“Order whatever you want, don't even think about the price.”  
She sighed and went ahead and ordered her food, she looked a bit surprised when Takeshi asked her if she was alright with him eating his meal tartar.  
“Why wouldn't I be? It's you eating it, not me.”  
“Thank you. You may be surprised at how many are bothered by someone having their meat raw, or even just rare.”  
With that he made his order and while they ate he answered whatever questions Emelie had, about him, her mother, about the GCTI.  


Another tram ride and a short walk later they found themselves at the hotel where Takeshi and Kasumi were staying.  
“So this is the daughter? She looks like her mother, but I must say, she is smaller than I thought she would be.”  
Kasumi's voice greeted them in the reception area as she came over to greet them.  
Giving Emelie a hug she whispered assurances to her, telling her that Takeshi would find a way to make it alright in the end, that he would do anything in his power to keep his promise.

 


	2. Coming of Age

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Coming of Age_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Thanks for letting me stay, Kasumi was it?”  
Emelie blushed slightly at the greeting, and comment about her size.  
“Almost, it's Ka-su-mee.”  
Kasumi corrected Emelie's pronunciation of her name while they walked toward the elevator, it wasn't really needed though, she had it almost correct from the start.  
“But you can call me Sumi-chan if you prefer. It's Emelie, right?”  
Takeshi pressed the electronic tag against the reader in the elevator to bring them to the top floor and their suite while listening to Emelie helping Kasumi with her own name before telling them that it was okay if they called her _Em_ like most of her friends did.  
“But please, not Emmy, my pa.. My grandparents always calls me that and I don't think I want to be reminded of it right now.”  
“Em it is then.”  
They both agreed with a smile.  
“Bet he will be calling you sweetie in notime at all though.”  
Kasumi's teasing quip made Emelie blush and break down laughing.  
“Whoa! Wait, time out! This is the penthouse lobby...”  
Emelie was looking around with wide eyes as they stepped out of the elevator into the small private lobby outside their suite.  
She had been too distracted by her conversation with Kasumi to notice the floor indicator on the elevator.  
The lobby was mostly intended as a work-space for room-service and housekeeping to prepare before entering the suite, there was also a small reception and security desk with the option to hire around the clock concierge service as well as additional security should you want it.  
“I told we had a big suite.”  
“Yeah, but...”  
She fell silent as Takeshi opened the door to the suite and invited her to enter.  
“Wow, this place is the size of my house...”  
If possible her eyes were even wider as she looked around the different rooms of the suite.  
“It even has a garden...”  
“First time in a penthouse I take it?”  
For once Kasumi was the first to start teasing.  
“Duh...I happen to have more brains than money, not the other way around.”  
Emelie didn't miss a beat and quipped back at Kasumi.  
“It was Take who picked this hotel.”  
“Oi! I didn't hear any complaints when I made the reservations.”  
His mock complaint had the women laughing, and moments later he joined them.

He knew Emelie and her family were well off though, Stefan ran a successful home security firm and Anneli was a real-estate agent.  
Between the two of them they had a significant income, and Emelie had received a generous allowance, and she had been able to save most of the student grant that was paid to all Swedish students.  
With those, and various cash prizes and scholarships and working stray hours during the school holidays, Emelie had amassed a pretty decent personal wealth as well.  
Though, she was a lot wealthier than she knew, her mother had saved most of her income from the GCTI as well as almost all extra money they had made while posing as mercenaries in the form of gold that she had asked Takeshi to arrange a safe storage for.  
He hadn't really thought of it back then, but after finding out about Emelie it became obvious, the goal had been to make sure to save money for her daughter.  
The others had followed her lead as well, though Adannaya had spent quite a bit on development projects that would benefit her tribe, since they had no relatives Takeshi had decided to divide the remaining assets between Emelie and various projects like the ones Adannaya had supported.  
All in all, that left Emelie with a stash of gold worth over 10 million US dollars at current spot price.

“Em, why don't you pick one of the unused bedrooms and I will call someone to prepare the bed for you.”  
“Okay!”  
Takeshi and Kasumi watched as the young woman inspected the smaller single bedrooms to pick one for herself.  
“She's energetic.”  
“She's still in shock I think. She will probably break down again later tonight.”  
After running back and forth between the two rooms a few times she settled on one of them and Takeshi called housekeeping to have them prepare the her bed.  
“Could you ask for extra pillows and blankets? I kinda like like to snuggle my bedding...”  
“Of course.”  
He quickly relayed Emelie's request to the staff before hanging up the phone.  
“So, did you guys eat before you got here?”  
Kasumi took the opportunity to check if either of them wanted anything to eat.  
“Yeah, probably the most expensive meal I have ever eaten.”  
Emelie huffed, but she was smiling at the same time.  
“Then how about something to drink and some light snacks?”  
“Oh, that sounds nice. You wouldn't happen to have some porter?”  
“We do. And we have some nice, flavorful treats to go with it.”  
Kasumi headed to the small kitchen area to get their drinks and when she placed a bottle of Carnegie Porter on the table in front of Emelie Takeshi found himself the target of a slight glare.  
“You have been spying on me, haven't you?”  
“I have. I wanted to know a bit more about you before approaching you. I wanted to know as much as I could so I didn't cause undue trauma. I'm sorry.”  
“It's okay. I believe you.”

They spent the rest of the night talking and crying, cursing and laughing as Takeshi told Emelie various stories about her mother, the unit and all the crazy stuff they had been through.  
They sat on the balcony and watched the sun rise, watched as a few small fishing vessels left the nearby harbor.  
In the end Emelie had fallen asleep in his lap again and he carried her into the bedroom she had picked before taking a seat in the sofa in the main area, meditating and waiting for her to wake.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Coming of Age_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi could feel Emelie starting to stir shortly after noon so he knocked softly on the door and after a few moments there was a soft answer letting him know he could enter.  
“Good morning sleepyhead. You missed breakfast so I grabbed you an early lunch. Hope you don't mind having prawn wok for breakfast.”  
“Let me guess, thai style with cashews, baby corn, sweet peppers and onion from that hole-in-the-wall by the west end of Kungsan?”  
“Now, what makes you think that?”  
He quipped back with a teasing tone, she was right though, she had ordered the same dish 4 of the days in the past week, and she had mentioned to her friends how much she loved it, she had even shared a few pieces with him in his raven form.  
“It's my favorite.”  
The absolute confidence in her answer made him laugh and confirm that it was indeed her favorite dish, from her favorite Thai restaurant.  
“How many servings did you buy?”  
She stared at the huge selection of takeout boxes on the table.  
“A few, after all, Sumi and I need to eat something as well. And there were a few other dishes that looked interesting, and of course a few classics.”  
Letting his nose guide him he opened the boxes containing takeout classics like deep fried prawns, mini spring rolls and the spicy papaya salad.  
The restaurant had smelled clean and fresh so he had ordered a big selection to see how the taste was on the various dishes.  
It quickly became obvious that Emelie had a thing for the prawn dishes as she quickly dug in on not just her own prawn wok but also the deep fried prawns and the prawns in coconut milk and green curry as well.

Once everyone was seated and began to eat Takeshi moved on to try to figure out what to do next.  
“Have you thought about what to do next?”  
“Hmm?”  
She looked up from her box with a puzzled expression.  
“About sleeping arrangements.”  
“Oh. Yeah, right. I don't think I want to go back home just yet so I guess we need to arrange something.”  
“You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want to. I promise I will see to your every need to best of my ability, all you need to do is ask.”  
Takeshi quickly offered her to keep using the room she had slept in.  
“Thanks. Had a feeling you would say that.”  
“So, is there anything you need to get for your stay?”  
“Well,I need a few changes of clothes, some underwear, and of course toiletries and some makeup.”  
“Do you want to go back home and get them, or would you prefer if we took you on a shopping spree? I would be paying of course.”  
“How is a girl supposed to say no when offered a shopping spree on someone else's dime?”  
“Going shopping it is then.”

Takeshi was happy to find that unlike her mother, Emelie was an effective shopper, she knew what she wanted and she didn't bother shopping around much.  
“Please, could you pick products that don't have a strong scent? I'm very sensitive to smells.”  
“Of course, how about this one?”  
She held out a bottle of mildly scented shampoo and Takeshi nodded that it was agreeable with his nose..  
He did add a few items to her basket though when he noticed her casting longing glances at a dress that was on display.  
“I don't need this.”  
“Maybe not, but I can tell you want it. Consider it an early birthday present.”  
She sighed, then laughed and thanked him by jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck, and without even a moment's though he grabbed her waist and hoisted her up slightly before sliding his hand under her to support her weight.  
“Hey! No ass grabbing!”  
With her mock complaint there was of course no way he could not take the opportunity to give her a slight squeeze, which she punished by biting his ear which made him drop her like a hot potato, though mindful not to hurt her.  
He was taken by surprise by his own reaction when she bit him, and found himself struggling to will down a really bad hard on.  
“Because of that you have to buy me ice cream!”  
She practically chirped at him, and there was a hint of pleased amusement that told him he hadn't been entirely successful in hiding his reaction from her.

Emelie quickly lead them through the streets of the city to a small ice cream parlor where she ordered a huge waffle with both vanilla soft serve and a few scoops of licorice ice cream and topped it all of with chili flakes and a salty licorice sauce.  
“Okay, that's a new one...”  
Kasumi looked at Emelie's choices with suspicion before checking the wide range of flavors and toppings offered and ordering a few scoops of matcha ice cream topped with red bean paste, green tea jelly and a few mochi balls.  
Takeshi on the other hand was still in quite a mood so he leaned in and took a lick from Emelie's ice cream and found that it was surprisingly good.  
“Hey! That's mine!”  
She grumbled at him while hiding behind Kasumi with her ice cream.  
“I'll have the same as Em here.”

“Come on, this way!”  
Emelie was practically dancing along the the street, eager to show them one of the hidden sights that only the locals knew about.  
But their day was cut short as she received an email from her grandparents, it was short and to the point, telling her that her things had been moved to a storage unit in her name with one month fee paid and for her not to contact them again.  
They had disowned her, at least as far as was possible under Swedish law.  
In the end Takeshi had been forced to use his ability to force his will onto others in order to calm her down so they could get her back to the hotel.  
Takeshi then spent the better part of the afternoon and the entire evening once again holding her as she cried, wrapping her in his aura to soothe her, to keep her mind and soul from shattering under the weight of her pain and he swore then that unless she directly told him not to he would make sure her grandparents paid.  
Paid for the lies they had told and for turning their backs on her when she needed them.  
As she finally calmed a bit and fell into a fitful sleep he kept her in his lap, putting all his focus into soothing her pain.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Coming of Age_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“How are you feeling?”  
Takeshi asked her as he placed a plate of eggs on toast in front of her.  
“It's not even 6 in the morning, how the hell do you think I feel you maniac?!”  
“You told me you needed to get up early.”  
“Yeah...”  
“So, apart from that, are you feeling okay?”  
“Not really, but it's my birthday and I refuse let all this ruin it.”  
She said between bites as she wolfed down her breakfast.  
“I am going to get dressed, go to town and pick up my clothes from the shop and get ready. I'm gonna meet my friends at Liseberg and have one hell of a time. And then you are going to find some decent place to take me to dinner since my pare, my **grand** parents have canceled the reservation we had.”  
“Sounds like a plan, anything in particular you want to eat?”  
He asked with a laugh.  
“Well, it might sound silly to you, but we were going to have sushi at this tiny place out on one of the islands, they are known for two things, their fresh seafood and their sushi. Their chef is a real Sushi-master from Japan, Matsui something.”  
The name of _Matsui_ made Takeshi look up with a slight start .  
“Wait, did you say Matsui, **Kaito** Matsui?”  
She looked confused for a moment before picking up the tablet on the table.  
“I don't know, I'll check.”  
She quickly brought up a webpage and showed him.  
“Yeah, Kaito Matsui. How did you know?”  
“ **Kasumi!** ”  
He called out for his sister before focusing back on Emelie.  
“I think we can help you get that sushi after all. The Matsui family has a close relationship to the Kiryu family.”  
“What's going on?”  
Kasumi asked as she entered the room.  
Takeshi handed her the tablet.  
“I need you to call this place and hire their sushi-master for tonight.”  
“Hey, isn't this Matsui-bucho's nephew?”  
“It is, that's why I'm leaving this to you. **They** canceled the reservations for her birthday dinner, reservations at Matsui-sensei's restaurant.”  
“Okay, I'll see to it. I heard she is going out with her friends today, so what will you be doing?”  
Before Takeshi got a chance to answer her Emelie spoke up.  
“He's coming with me. I am soo having a date for my birthday this year.”  
Giving him a once over she tapped her chin for a moment.  
“I hope you have something in your wardrobe that looks less _runaway lawyer_ and more _hot stuff_ or you're coming with me shopping”  
Kasumi laughed, and Takeshi groaned, she may have been a fast shopper for herself, but he had a feeling dressing him up would take more effort.

“Put these on. I'll keep looking.”  
Emelie shoved a pile of clothes into his arms and pushed him into one of the dressing rooms before vanishing to fetch more items.  
“Now that's hot!”  
Takeshi almost dropped the pants he was holding when Emelie peeked over the edge of the door, she must have moved a stool next to it to be able to reach.  
He hadn't really paid attentions to the sounds outside as it was bustling with activity, instead his aura had been focused on sensing threats, and she wasn't a threat so he hadn't noticed that she didn't leave.  
She had given him just enough time to strip down to his briefs and was now checking him out in a somewhat exaggerated manner.  
“Like what you see do you?”  
He could help teasing her a bit as he slowly turned around, giving her plenty of time to change her mind before flashing her a full frontal.  
At first she just kept looking at him, then a bright red blush started creeping up her face, then after a few moment she blinked somewhat owlishly before yelping and ducking down behind the door.  
He could hear a soft _Yeah, I did_ from behind the other side of the door, and the aura told him she was leaning against the wall just outside the door.  
“You're welcome to keep watching, I don't mind.”  
He really didn't mind her looking, quite the contrary, which was bothering him slightly, she was young enough to be his daughter, and her mother had been his lover, his partner and yet, he found himself attracted to her.  
“I think I better not...”  
The tone of her voice washed those thoughts from his mind though and he laughed while promising he would let her know when he was decent again so she could check the outfit.

Emelie hadn't really considered her actions when she decided to peek at Takeshi while he was trying the clothes on, and seeing him in all his glory, or well almost, had sent a rush of heat to her belly, he was seriously good looking and had a killer body.  
And when he had turned around she had noticed that he was quite well endowed, though she had suspected as much from the incident the day before, he had tried to hide it, but she had noticed him getting almost instantly hard when she bit his ear, and it made her very curious.  
Though it seemed to have bothered him a bit, probably because of his relationship with her mother, and it caused a twinge of something akin to jealousy, but in a sad, longing way.

“Okay, I'm decent, promise.”  
Takeshi's voice pulled her from her musings ans she got up to have a look.  
“Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about.”  
She gave him a wolf whistle as she peeked into the dressing room.  
“Come on out, let me look at you.”  
He humored her and after a quick inspection she dragged him toward the register to pay.  
Along the way they passed a display with sunglasses and Emelie made him stop and try on various models before settling on a pair she liked.  
“If you don't mind, the quality on these is abysmal. Could we drop by a optician or some store that specializes in eyewear and get something similar in a better quality?”  
“It's your money. There's an optician a few shops over.”

After being dragged through various stores Takeshi found himself wearing something he could have been seen in back when he was with GCTI, though with a far better fit.  
Military style cargo-pants with a dark black camo pattern and a tightly fitted sleeveless V-neck, boots and a jacket matching the pants, even the glasses she picked was a similar model to what was often used by police and military for tactical and ballistic eyewear.  
Emelie seemed to be determined to show of his size and build as best as she could, he didn't mind though, if playing dress-up with him helped her relax then he would suffer it, at least she hadn't picked one of the popular _hipster_ or overly feminine _metrosexual_ styles.  
He didn't mind if men wished to dress and style themselves in a more feminine manner, he often found it quite attractive when done right, not all men could pull it off, but he had no desire to do so himself, it was bad enough that store clerks kept guiding him toward such styles due to his long hair, and complete lack of androgenic, body and facial, hair.

With his outfit done they headed over to the tailor and picked up Emelie's dress, a well fitting asymmetric halterneck that reached her knees, and hugged her body in a very flattering manner, he couldn't really put a name on the color though.  
I was some kind of pastel purple, but with a pearl like iridescent effect to it, and as confusing as the color was to his enhanced vision it looked absolutely stunning on her and brought out the green in her eyes.  
“It looks good on you, and it brings out the green in your eyes.”  
The way she instantly lit up told him that it was the desired effect.  
“So, where to next?”  
Emelie quickly checked her watch.  
“It's 11:45 so a little over 2 hours before I need to be at the salon for hair and makeup, I guess we go grab something to eat.”

“Lunch it is then.”  
As they walked toward the tram stop Takeshi spotted a jewelry store along their path and quickly pulled her into the small but well stocked store.  
“What are you doing?”  
“It's your birthday, don't you need a few pieces to match that dress of yours?”  
She huffed at him but allowed him to pick out a few pieces of jewelry that matched her dress.  
“This is just too much.”  
“Nah, I think it's just right, don't you agree?”  
He turned to the clerk who nodded in agreement.  
“He's right. It looks exquisite on you.”  
“That's not what I meant, and you know it.”  
Emelie huffed at him while he browsed the men's section for a simple ring, he had found that wearing a ring on his left ring finger helped keep women from approaching him.  
“Oh, no matching ring for me?”  
He had settled on a simple carbon fiber ring and the teasing quip made him turn to her with a questioning look.  
“You want us to wear matching rings?”  
Her tone had been teasing, but her aura had a serious edge to it which made him ask her to make sure.  
“Well, it would help to keep some of the more annoying guys from constantly hitting on me.”  
“Ah. I wear a ring for the same reason.”  
A quick look revealed that there was no matching ring among the carbon fiber wares, but he did want a black ring so he turned to the clerk.  
“Do you have any matching rings in back?”  
“Of course, this way Sir.”  
The clerk quickly brought out a few trays with various engagement and wedding bands in matching styles.  
“Any particular stones you would like?”  
“Anything purple.”

A selection of bands with various purple stones were brought out and Takeshi quickly scanned them, and he quickly found a design he liked.  
The band had a leaf design and featured a fairly large amethyst with a beautiful Portuguese cut as the main stone and 16 small amethysts in the same sparkling cut on the band.  
The matching men's ring was a flat black band with 4 emerald cut amethysts and 10 small Portuguese cut amethysts, 2 on each side of the larger stones, and the band had a leaf relief along the edge, matching the design of the woman's ring nicely.  
“I think this set will do nicely.”  
“Take, now you're definitely going over the top, that's a wedding band, and a very expensive one at that...”  
“You don't like it?”  
She looked between him and the rings with a frustrated glare, then she sighed deeply.  
“I love it! But..”  
“No buts. You like so this is the one you will get.”  
After checking their sizes the clerk activated the store security and brought out the real rings in their sizes from the safe.  
There was slight differences in the colors of the stones, and pricing of each ring varied with the quality of the stones, though usually not an expensive stone, really high quality amethysts still fetched a fair price.  
Takeshi inspected the darker stones and found a pair of rings with almost identical hue in the stones.  
“What do you say about these two?”  
He handed the selected rings to Emelie.  
“I still say it's way too much...”  
She huffed at him, but her brilliant smile told him she approved of the selection.  
“I told you not to look at any price tags when I'm buying stuff for you.”  
“Yeah, but these rings are over 100.000 kronor each... That's crazy expensive.”  
“Em, I would have bought them for you even if they were 100.000 dollars.”  
“You're insane...”  
She sighed deeply, a dollar was roughly 8 Swedish kronor, it became more and more obvious that the man was either completely insane, or filthy rich, or as she was starting to suspect, both.

They grabbed a quick lunch before heading to Emelie's stylist appointment to finish up her look, then headed to Liseberg to meet her friends.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Coming of Age_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Based on how heads were turning and the whispered comments as they waited outside Liseberg for her friends to arrive Emelie had managed very well with dressing them up for the occasion.  
Combined with her dress showing of her shapes and the sheer difference in size between them they made quite an image.  
_“Em!”  
“Grattis!”_  
As her friends arrived he had to resist the urge to wince at the volume and pitch of their greetings.  
_“Vem är läckerbiten?”  
“En vän till familjen.”  
“Vart har du hållit honom gömd?”_  
He picked up a few words here and there and based on the looks they were giving him and the blush on Emelie's face he had a few guesses as to what they were saying.  
_“Hans Svenska är inge vidare så vi skulle uppskatta om ni pratar Engelska.”_  
He could tell that she told them he didn't speak Swedish and moment later one of the pushier females turned to him and blurted out a rather intimate question.  
“So have you guys done it yet?”  
Emelie instantly turned beet red and began to splutter in an embarrassed outrage and Takeshi couldn't resist teasing her a bit.  
Leaning in he gave her a quick kiss to silence her and then turned to her friends with a smirk.  
“A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell.”  
Emelie finally snapped out of her stupor and slapped his arm with a rather impressive growl.  
“You. Are...”  
“Horrible? So you keep telling me, _sweetie_. But somehow I have a feeling you don't really mean it.”  
He interrupted her with a smile and she slumped against him with a frustrated sigh and a shake of her head that caused her friends to snicker at them before they headed toward the entrance.  
“If I'm too much please do tell me. Remember what I told you about me being a very tactile person, and a tease.”  
He spoke to her in a hushed tone, he didn't want to overstep any boundaries.  
“No, it's fine, frustrating, embarrassing and annoying, but fine.”  
With a snicker he gently nudged her towards the entrance and paid for tickets for himself and a ride-pass for Emelie as her annual pass was admittance only.  
“Oh no you don't, you are getting a ride pass as well! I'm planning on dragging you on every ride in the park. Or well, every ride we can both fit in...”  
And after a hard tug on his braid and a whisper that told him in no uncertain terms that he would be joining her on the rides he bought one for himself as well.  
“Come, let's go.”  
She grabbed his hand and pulled him along to where her friends were waiting.

“Take, could you try to win one of those for me?”  
Emelie pointed toward an area with various carnival games were you could win the Liseberg mascot in several sizes, including one that was bigger than she was.  
It was a ticket system where you instead of winning individual prized at each game you received a number of tickets depending on your score, tickets you could then trade for prizes, to win a bigger price you could either get an amazing score at one game, or collect tickets from multiple games.  
“Of course sweetie.”  
They walked over and watched the games being played for a while as Takeshi wanted to see which games would be the best choices for him to play.  
Money was no issue, but he still didn't want to spend more than necessary to win the price she wanted, and a part of him wanted to show off a bit so he wanted to find the games that were geared more toward skill.  
“So, have you decided on a game?”  
“I think I will start with the rope ladder.”  
The 3 stage balance game offered a special prize for those who managed to reach the end, and was entirely skill based.  
“Good luck, it's pretty much impossible, it may look simple, but it's the hardest game to win of them all.”  
“I know. The balance required is about the same as for walking a rope.”

He paid the entry fee and handed his jacket to Emelie before focusing on the game, he knew he was basically cheating with his inhuman reflexes and balance, but if Emelie wanted a ridiculously oversized plush toy then she would be getting one.  
He calmly cleared the first part of the course which earned him quite a few cheers and encouraging calls, clearing the second part brought down another chorus and now everyone was watching him and cheering as he took a deep breath and headed out on the third part.  
When he cleared the third part the cheering was deafening, and as soon as he climbed down from the course he had Emelie around his neck, giving him a big kiss.  
“Wow! You did it!”  
“Well go on, pick your prize.”  
Passing all 3 stages of the rope ladder gave a special reward in the form of one of the large rabbits, but with a gold crown on its head and Emelie quickly pointed to the _Queen_ model.  
He did play some more games to win various smaller prices for her, and to show off a bit as she clearly enjoyed the attention, and envious comments from some of the crowd.

He was actually having quite a good time, this was the kind of thing he never had a chance to do while growing up and he did take the opportunity to enjoy himself, not only for his own sake though, but to ensure Emelie had a good time.  
During lunch Kasumi had called and told him that she had convinced Kaito to come and cook for them at the hotel later in the evening, but he hadn't told Emelie yet, it would be a surprise when they returned, but for now the goal was to have as much fun as possible.  
As they left the park Takeshi called for a taxi van to take them, and all the stuffed animals that Emelie had talked him into winning for her, back to the hotel.

When Kaito arrived at the hotel Takeshi took him aside to make sure he would not say anything about him still being alive before helping him carry his things up to the suite.  
“Thank you so much for doing this!”  
Emelie was teary eyed as she thanked everyone, Kaito included, when she realized she would be getting her sushi birthday dinner, only a bit later in the evening than originally planned.  
After a long dinner that was equal parts, food, art and showmanship they retired to the balcony with their drinks.

“Take, there is something I have been meaning to ask you.”  
Emelie hesitated as she spoke but seemed to steel herself as she continued,  
“You will be returning to Japan soon won't you?“  
“Not to Japan, not for years to come, but we are planning to find a nice place in the US to settle down. But if you want me to stay here, with you, I will.”  
Takeshi didn't really care what country he lived in.  
“No, I was actually wondering if it would be possible for me to join you when you leave? I don't want to stay here anymore.”  
Takeshi looked at her silently, taking in her defeated look and decided to tell her the rest of the story and then let her choose, if she still wanted to come with them he would see to it.  
“I don't mind bringing you with us, but there are a few things you need to know before making that choice, but if you still want that after I am done telling you what you need to know I will bring you with me.”  
“You have got to be **kidding** me, there is more to this?”  
Her wide eyed look made him smile as he eased her worries.  
“Don't worry, this is not about you or your mother. This is about me, you need to know what you would be getting yourself into by following me, it would not be easy, I can't guarantee it would be safe.”  
Putting his drink down he moved to stand next to her by the railing of the balcony.  
“I promised your mother I would keep you safe but at the same time I can't keep you locked up, you need to be allowed to choose your own path.”  
And so he told her about _Fukushuu_ , the oath of vengeance, that he would be going up against the GCTI to avenge his unit and all those wronged in similar ways.  
He told her about his promise to make her grandparents pay for what they had done, for the lies. And finally he showed her what he had become in order to live, to be able to carry out his oath.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Coming of Age_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi watched her as she stood by the railing looking out over the water and the distant flashes of a thunderstorm building at sea.  
She had been standing there silently for several hours now but he was not worried, there was a calm to her aura that told him she was handling it well.  
If she needed time to think he would give her all the time she needed.  
He could hear the thunder now and smell ozone and rain on the winds as they began to pick up.  
As the skies opened he took the umbrella that Kasumi had given him and moved to stand behind Emelie, but he didn't resist when she pushed it aside and left them standing in the rain, watching the lightning cut across the night sky.  
When she stepped back and leaned against him he put his arms around her and wrapped his aura around her, keeping her from becoming chilled.  
As the storm moved away inland she finally turned around and spoke.  
“The raven, it was you, wasn't it?”  
“It was.”  
“Thanks. Even if it wasn't a wild raven I really enjoyed it. I have always liked the corvids, especially ravens.”  
“You're welcome, I'm more than happy to play the raven for you again if you want me to. And I can try to see if I can find some wild raven for you to get to know.”  
There was another long silence before she spoke up again.  
“I'll be coming with you. I never knew her but she was still my mom and like you said, she needs to be avenged, the honor of her memory restored. I don't understand this _Dantai_ , but I understand you were really close and that you need to do this. My grandparents however, they will pay, but they will pay by my hands not yours!”  
He looked into her eyes and saw the truth of her decision there and nodded.  
“As you wish.”  
After another silence she looked up at him with an impish smile.  
“Could you show me how you become a raven?”  
“Of course sweetie.”  
He extended his senses again to make sure no one was watching before shifting to a raven and allowing her to play with his feathers.

The next morning Takeshi gave Emelie a necklace, a white tessen, war-fan, hung from a simple braided string.  
As she carefully folded and unfolded the tiny fan she suddenly looked up at him  
“What's it made from? It almost feels alive somehow.”  
“That's because it is.”  
He smiled wide and pointed to the missing canine in his upper jaw.  
“Wait, it's made from your tooth? But won't you miss it?”  
“Don't worry, it will have grown back by tonight, if I really need it for some reason I can force it to grow back in seconds.”  
When he touched the tessen it glowed with a fiery orange and gold for a moment before the glow settled into each of the spines of the fan in the form tiny, perfect kanji.  
“Wow, it's gonna take some getting used seeing things like that.”  
She carefully poked the tessen to make sure it was safe.  
“So, what did you do? It looked kinda like your eyes.”  
“That was my aura, life-force, Qi. It has many names but in essence it's what makes me, me. It is the source of my power, my very life. By infusing it into an item I can make a charm of sorts, others with powers will be able to feel it and know you are protected. Parts of my body are easier to infuse permanently, most would just use hair since it's one of the few parts of the body that can be removed without causing harm. My abilities makes it easier, and allows me to make things like this.”  
He took the necklace and put it around her neck before tying the string and securing it by putting some of his power into it.  
“There, it won't come of or break unless you want it to.”  
Stepping back in front of her he kneeled down and took her hands into his.  
“This is also a symbol of a promise I am about to make. I promise to teach you more about how to protect yourself and once you have learned I will see to that you get real weapons.”  
He sat down and leaned against the railing and motioned for her to have a seat.

“In the Kiryu family a youth is considered fully adult on their 20th birthday and as proof their coming of age they are given their blade. This is usually an ornate katana, ritual rather than a weapon for combat, my own was an exception as I was formally presented with the Kiryu no Ryuken.”  
As he spoke he drew the Ryuken from within his soul and showed it to her before placing it back.  
“Wait, did you just cut yourself before putting it away?”  
She took his hand and turned it over to look at his thumb but the small cut had already healed.  
“I did, the Ryuken is a demonic blade and like many of its kind it demands a price for being drawn, a price to be paid in blood, if not that of my opponent then mine.”  
She nodded and pulled a bit on pendant.  
“Can you tie it a bit shorter please?”  
The sudden question threw him of for a moment.  
“Hmm? Oh, you can do that yourself, touch the pendant and focus on how long you want it to be.”  
He watched as she closed her eyes and a slight glow emanated from the string as it adjusted to her will.  
“Wow, I need this for my clothes!”  
She laughed as the pendant fell to rest in its new position.

“On the matter of clothes, I could use a hand in getting to that storage unit and sorting through my stuff.”  
“Of course, but remember, you don't have to, whatever you need we can go buy, either here or when we get to the states.”  
He stood and reached out his hand to help her up.  
“I know, and I'm grateful for everything, but some of that stuff has sentimental value.”  
“Then how about we just get it over with?”  
She had been through a lot in the past few days and Takeshi just wanted it to be done so she could move on.  
“Sure, why not, just lemme grab a quick shower before we go.”  
She turned and headed towards her room and the ensuite bathroom without waiting for a reply.  
“You take your time and I'll go scare up a rental van so we don't have to worry about having to carry stuff with us on the tram.”  
He called after her and he could hear a muffled response asking him to grab some breakfast from the sandwich shop by the tram station while he was at it.

When he pulled up to the hotel an hour later Emelie was sitting in the small park in front of the main entrance and she quickly came running when she spotted him.  
“Ah, breakfast!”  
She exclaimed as she began digging through the bag that had been sitting in the passenger seat.  
“Salmon and tzatziki, my favorite!”  
He looked over as she she instantly dug in after unwrapping the sub, **his** sub.  
“Oi! That's mine! The chicken curry one is yours!”  
He reached over to grab it but she twisted away, blocking him with her body  
“Nu-uh, this one's is mine!”  
Takeshi shook his head with a smile and grabbed the other sub as he drove off toward the storage-facility where Emelie's belongings had been moved.

Takeshi watched as she tore through her things like a miniature tornado, tossing clothes and various items over her shoulder and occasionally throwing an item at him to be put into one of the boxes by the doorway, making a sport of trying to actually hit him with the items.  
After a while he noticed that her searching became more frantic and he could hear her mumbling in Swedish.  
“ _Fan, fan, fan, var är den!_ ”  
As he focused on her voice he could tell she was cursing and he walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.  
“What's wrong?”  
“It's not here! Mom's ID tag isn't here. I had her ID tag, of course I believed it was my sister's, but when I saw grandpa throw it away I took it and kept it in my jewelry box but I can't find it anywhere, they must have taken it. Please it's the only thing I have that was hers!”  
As she began sobbing and rambling in Swedish he pulled her into his arms to soothe her.  
“Ssh, I understand, grab what you need fast and we will go to your grandparents and find out where it is, I'll see to that the rest of this stuff is packed for shipping and sent to Miami.”  
They quickly packed the boxes into the van and drove of to her grandparents' house in silence.

Once there Takeshi once again stood back, watching, listening while Emelie did the talking, he was just looking for the lies.  
_“Var är mammas ID bricka? Den låg i mitt smyckesskrin.”  
_ She had been asking the same questions oven and over, trying to get them to tell her why the tag was not in her jewelry box, but her grandparents still refused to answer her and Takeshi was getting bored and decided to intervene and stepped forward.  
“I don't know exactly how much you know, but know this, I was Maria's commanding officer in the GCTI, I earned that rank for a very good reason. So I suggest you answer her questions.”  
_“Vad pratar du om? Min ID bricka ligger i bankfacket där den alltid legat.”  
_ Her grandmother the first to answer  
“Truth.”  
Was all Takeshi said, he did not need to understand what was said to know a lie, but Emelie turned to him,  
“She said that **her** tag is in the safety deposit box, she never answered where mom's tag is”.  
She turned back to her grandmother and confronted her with the fact that she knew about who her true mother was.  
_“Försök inte, jag vet att du är min mormor, inte min mamma. Vad har ni gjort med mammas bricka?”  
“Jag vet inte vad du pratar om!”  
_ “Lie.”  
The grandmother glared at him as he spoke up again  
_“Du kan inte lura honom, var är brickan?”  
_ They kept going back and forth, and Takeshi told Emelie after each answer if it was truth or lie.  
As emotions began to run high he suddenly picked up a spike of pain and rage from Emelie and asked what had been said, her words as she translated what her grandfather had said sent him to the brink of control as the beast within howled in fury.

“Take, you are getting kinda scary, and you're growling...”  
Emelie started to sound worried and he struggled to get himself under control, the last thing he wanted to do was to scare her but he could feel his control slipping under the rage of the beast.  
“Remember the beast I told you about, their lies are unleashing its wrath. If I can't contain it it will break free, take over control of my body and use my abilities to extract what it feels to be justice, it will kill them, it might turn on you.”  
She looked at him for a moment before putting her right hand over his heart.  
“I trust you.”  
He could feel it in her aura and he let go with a silent plea to the beast within.  
_“Please don't harm her.”  
_ This time was different, there was no pain as the beast took control.  
He was normally pushed back into the cage within his mind rather violently and the pain would be intense.  
But this time when the barriers fell the beast merely brushed past him and he could hear its response to his plea.  
_**“She is pack!”  
**_ Somehow that last thought from the beast allowed him to relax as his body shifted and took on more of the beasts attributes.  
A clawed hand carefully turned Emelie's face and she looked up into glowing eyes and as the beast now controlling the body spoke the words seemed awkward as fangs grew larger before her eyes and its voice more of a low growl.  
_**“Stay, do not look.”  
**_ She nodded and closed her eyes as the beast turned its back on her and moved toward her grandparents.

She didn't know why, but she felt completely safe, she should have been scared, but somehow she wasn't, instead she only felt trust for the creature that appeared before her.

Takeshi could feel the beast as it turned around, pride.  
Pride in her trust and obedience, but also pride in him, for letting go and allowing it to do what needed be done instead of trying to control it.  
He watched from within as the beast turned on the grandparents who voiced their terror upon seeing it's transformed features but a growled out order carrying the haunting infra-sound of c _ommand_ instantly silenced them.

Takeshi had found that by using certain sounds in the infra-range in combination with a push of his aura he could force others to obey him, using only the sound part would act as a very strong _suggestion_ and most of the time those exposed would do as suggested, but he had found that unlike with _command_ it allowed them to refuse if asked to do something they absolutely did not want to.  
For _suggestion_ to work the person had to **want** to do it at some level, conscious or subconscious, also a strong willed person would be able to resist it, that might be possible with _command_ as well but so far he had not found anyone able to resist him when he used it.  
But the beast was using _command_ , and in a very forceful way, there was no way they could go against it no matter what it demanded of them.

It's next order was for the ID tag to be brought to it and Emelie's grandfather silently walked away and when he returned he handed it to the beast.  
What came next surprised Takeshi a bit, he had expected the beast to tear them apart itself but instead it had leaned over and whispered commands, the end result would be the same, their deaths but without the beast spilling their blood.  
As it did, Takeshi could hear a single thought from the beast  
_**“Unworthy.”  
**_ And he understood, the beast considered them to be so far beneath it that they did not deserve to die by its claws, that their blood would sully it.  
Dismissing the grandparents after giving its commands it carefully picked Emelie up, being mindful of its claws it surprised Takeshi a bit, he had never known the beast to gentle in any way.  
Then suddenly the world seemed to twist around itself for a moment and they were standing in the shade under a large oak at the edge of the clearing with the stone and Takeshi realized that the beast had shadow-traveled, stepping into a shadow inside the house and then a mere moment later stepping out from the shadow cast by the large oak.  
This was not something a shadow-beast, a lesser shadow-demon, should be able to do, at least not while carrying someone.  
It was an ability only the greater shadow-demons possessed and it made Takeshi wonder if he might not have to re-evaluate the beast, he decided he would discuss it with the Ryujin once they were safely back at the hotel and he was sure Emelie was okay.  
Then the beast was by his side inside the mindscape and walked back into its cage without any resistance and he could feel himself slipping back into control and before he faded into the outside world he sent the beast his gratitude and was rewarded with a chuckle as it laid down and the seals closed between them.

“Em, _sweetie_. You can open your eyes now.”  
When she looked up at him he gave her the ID tag and she pulled it over her head and tucked it inside her top.  
“Are they dead?”  
Her voice held very little emotion but her aura betrayed her inner conflict.  
“Not yet, but they will be soon. The beast forced his will on them and his will was for them to die. I am sorry I was not able to keep my promise, I was not able to stop the beast from claiming the vengeance that was yours.”  
He offered his hand and she took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.  
“It's okay, can we just go back to the hotel please? I need a shower and a shopping-spree, and after that you are taking me somewhere to get drunk.”  
Takeshi shook his head at her with a smile as he questioned the sanity, and availability of her plan on a Sunday afternoon.

  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Coming of Age_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Let's go shop for a nice Miami wardrobe.”  
“I'm gonna need a few bathing suits, aren't I?”  
“Mhm, also I would suggest a few nice club outfits, some formal or evening wear for those fancy restaurants, more jewelry of course.”  
“And shoes! And handbags!”  
There was a distinct teasing tone to Emelie's final addition.  
“Hmm?”  
“Oh, I never did understand the whole deal with women having like 50 pairs of shoes and 50 handbags.”  
Takeshi snickered at her explanation.  
“Well, if you want 50 pairs of shoes you can have 50 pairs of shoes.”  
“Oh hell no! Are you insane? I have trouble enough picking what to wear with 5 pairs.”  
Her reaction to the offer to buy her a lot of shoes had Takeshi laughing and moments later she joined him, her bright laughter made him feel hopeful that she would recover nicely from the trauma of the past few days.  


“Take, I couldn't help noticing you're not wearing the ring today.”  
There was a hesitant tone in her voice as the focus of the conversation shifted.  
“You're right, I'm not.”  
He walked over to the room safe and brought out the box with the ring.  
“It's yours, I will only wear it if and when you want me to.”  
She took the box and her aura shifted into something almost sad.  
“I... I think I would like you to wear it. I don't know.. I can't really explain.”  
Takeshi had a feeling he understood what she was trying to say.  
“You want a connection? Something tangible binding us, replacing the bond of family that has been lost?”  
She just nodded silently and held the box out for him.  
“Wedding and engagement rings symbolizes promises, how about we exchange our own promises?”  
“What kind of promises?”  
“How about I promise to always try my best to spoil you and be your date whenever you want me to?”  
The somewhat silly suggestion made her laugh again.  
“Sounds good. I have no idea what to promise in return though...”  
“I'm not really expecting anything from you, but how about you promise me that you will try your best not to let this break you, and that you will try to confide in me and trust me?”  
“I think I can do that.”  
Takeshi carefully removed the ring from her finger instead of taking the offered box, then placed it back while stating his promise, and then allowing her to do the same to him.  


By the time they returned to the hotel the back of the rented van was filled up with bags and boxes, a fairly large amount of clothing had been bought, including several pairs of shoes and handbags which Takeshi teased Emelie for.  
“There is still a lot of things that could be useful, so how about we spend the next week spoiling you rotten?”  
“Sounds like a plan to me. But now, we go get drunk!”  
“Well, there is a small hitch in that plan.”  
“What?”  
The instant concern had him smiling at her, trying to soothe her worry.  
“I can't get drunk of regular alcohol. I need something extra for it to work on me.”  
“Oh...”  
“But don't worry, we can still go out and have a few drinks, or order up room-service.”  
“How about takeout and some _folkpiss_?”  
“Some what?”  
He had no idea what _folkpiss_ was, but it didn't sound too appetizing.  
“ _Folkpiss_ is what we commonly call the low alcohol beer that is sold in regular stores.”  


Sweden had a rather strict alcohol monopoly with strict sales regulations, anything stronger than 3,5% alcohol by volume could only be sold by the government owned liquor store chain and could only be purchased by people aged 20 and above.  
The lower alcohol beer could be bought by anyone over 18 and was sold in regular stores, bars and such with serving permits could sell to anyone 18 or older, but many enforced higher age restrictions to control what kid of clientele they received.  


“Do I want to know what it means?”  
“Doubt it. It translates as People's pee.”  
The translation had Takeshi laughing and shaking his head, mock complaining about crazy Swedes.  


“Take, is it okay if I fall asleep here?”  
Emelie was only slightly drunk, but she was resting in the couch, using Takeshi's lap as a pillow.  
“Of course sweetie. I'll carry you to your room if I decide I need to sleep as well.”  
“Good. I don't think I wanna be alone.”  
“Then you won't have to be.”

 

 


	3. Finding Home

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Wakey wakey rise and shine!”  
Takeshi peeked into Emelie's room and called her with an intentionally obnoxiously chipper voice and moment later he peeled a pillow of his face, she could be quite accurate when she wanted to.  
_“Förbannade jävla överenergiska tuppfan...”_  
“Em! Language!”  
Takeshi reacted without thinking, recognizing the foul language in Swedish from her mother's oh so sweet morning temper, and scolding her lightly for it.  
“Stuff it! The sun isn't even up properly so why should I be?”  
The reaction to the scolding wasn't the same though, but he didn't mind, he hadn't really meant to scold her, he had just reacted on reflex.  
“Well, you mentioned you wanted to meet ravens, so I thought we could go on a little hunt today.”  
“So, why are we up before the sun?”  
“Well, we are going to need some treats for them, and I would prefer to give them stuff that is good for them and I also promised to cook dinner tonight so I was thinking we could kill two birds with one stone and go down to the fish harbor and buy some nice seafood for us, and they usually have some bycatch that makes good treats.”  
“Oh, okay! Sounds like fun.”  
She quickly wrapped one of the sheets around her body and got out of bed before Takeshi had a chance to leave.

“By the way, mind giving me some details on that less than ladylike language you just used?”  
Emelie had already agreed to help Takeshi improve his Swedish.  
“Oh, I basically called you a soup-rooster.”  
Takeshi's totally dumbfounded look made her break down laughing before offering a bit of explanation.  
“You know that really loud rooster that keeps crowing its head of in the middle of the night?”  
The puzzled look slowly morphed into understanding, then laughter as he realized what she meant by soup-rooster, the very annoying rooster who would soon find itself in the soup pot for the crime of having driven it's owners, or neighbors, over the edge.  
“Oh, so you're looking to eat some cock?”  
He just couldn't help himself when she gave him such an opening for a more off-color teasing joke, and as expected she responded by turning brilliant red and screeching at him.  
**“Take!!”**  
Then she went dead silent while nailing him with a deadly glare, but the glare was quickly falling apart as the corners of her mouth started twitching, then she broke down laughing, and laughed until she was in tears.  
“Oh, my stomach hurts and it's all your fault.”  
She was leaning heavily on him trying to catch her breath between bouts of laughter.  
“Guess you can skip the sit-ups then.”  
The deadpan delivery made her snort in a very unladylike manner before going into another laughing fit that left her sitting on the floor gasping for air.  
“Go on, get your shower and I'll have some breakfast ready for you when you get out.”  
When he left the room she was still alternating between trying to muffle some rather hysterical giggling and gasping for air.

“I didn't think there would be so much people here this early.”  
Emelie looked around the area where quite a few people were walking between the boats looking to buy the fresh catch.  
“They are probably from some of the fancier restaurants out looking for something special to serve tonight.”  
Takeshi spoke while walking up to the first boat, and he instantly spotted an interesting catch on display in a tray of ice.  
“That halibut looks nice, 4.2 kilo?”  
The fisherman looked a bit bothered and scratched his head while looking around.  
_“Flundran där ser fin ut, 4.2 kilo?”  
“På grammet.”_  
The instant relief when Emelie translated explained the fisherman's discomfort, his English was poor, he probably got the gist of the question but didn't know how to reply.  
“Thanks Em.”  
Takeshi thanked her and nodded to the fisherman with a polite smile only to be rudely pushed aside by a rather portly man in an ill fitting chefs uniform.  
_“Jag köper hälleflundran! 400 kronor kilot som vanligt?”  
“Eh, ja men...”  
“Sätt fart jag har inte hela dan.”_  
Takeshi picked up on the shift in Emelie's temper which confirmed that the man was not just rude, but also trying to poach their halibut.  
_“Ursäkta men vi var faktiskt före dig!”  
_ She told the man off, as far as Takeshi could tell, telling him to get in line. _  
“Flicka lilla du kan ta och handla din fisk på Coop du. Vore slöseri att låta amatörer förstöra fin fisk.”_  
Emelie's anger spiked into fury and she turned to Takeshi with blazing eyes.  
“That thing about price-tags still applies, right?”  
“Of course sweetie.”  
He wasn't entirely sure what she was up to, but he suspected she intended to simply offer the fisherman a premium price to make sure they got the fish and he didn't mind.  
_“1000 kronor kilot.”_  
The fisherman looked rather wide eyed for a moment before nodding sharply.  
_“Såld!”_  
The rude man cursed up a storm before leaving when a few of the other fishermen started giving him some rather crooked looks.  
“Could you ask him if he can pack it in ice for us?”  
“Okay.”  
Emelie turned to the fisherman and they spoke for a bit before he looked up at Takeshi and nodded.

“How about some translations? That guy really pissed you off and I would like to know why. Oh and how much did I actually end up paying for the fish?”  
Takeshi turned to Emelie while the fisherman prepared their purchase.  
“Well for starters he was really rude. But what really pissed me off was him telling me that little girls should but their fish at Coop and not ruin quality fish.”  
Coop was a rather average grocery store that wasn't really known for having high quality goods, they were geared more toward cheap and medium range items.  
“Oh, and the asking price was 400 kronor per kilo and I offered him 1000, so you paid 4200 for that fish.”  
“I see. Well, that's not bad for a fresh, high quality fish. And let's hope we don't run into any more like him.”  
Takeshi walked over to one of the young men who were guarding a bunch of platform trolley and quickly paid to rent one and placed the box with the halibut on it before moving along to the next boat.

“Oh, look _sjötunga_! Can I have one? Please?”  
“Hmm, what fish is that?”  
Takeshi had no idea which of the fishes she was interested in.  
“Eh, I don't know the English name...”  
“It's a common sole, _Solea solea_.”  
The fisherman was more than happy to translate and provide the Latin name.  
“Ah, that's an excellent fish. And Em, you don't need to ask, if there's something you want just get it.”  
He turned to the fisherman and bought several nice soles as well a bunch of the mackerels that were on display.

They made several stops, buying a wide variety of fresh caught fish and shellfish as well as a bucket of small baitfish to feed the ravens and they were just about to leave when Takeshi spotted a large tub on ground next to one of the boats that was washing out their holds.  
“Are those Japanese shore crabs?”  
“Yeah. It's an invasive species here, we have to count, report and kill any we catch.”  
The fisherman didn't stop working.  
“Are they for sale?”  
“I don't know... You promise you'll make sure they die and don't get back into the sea?”  
“Naturally.”  
“Then go ahead, take them. ”  
“How much?”  
“Meh, whatever you feel like.”  
Takeshi estimated there was about 100 of the small crabs in the tub so he quickly reached into his wallet and pulled out a 500 kronor note and pinned it under one of the boxes.  
“Thanks.”  
“You're welcome.”  
“Take, aren't those a bit small to eat?”  
“Not at all, if you deep fry them whole the shell becomes soft but crunchy and you eat them whole.”  
“Okay, that sounds really weird, but I want to try it at least.”  
Takeshi was happy that she was not just willing but eager to try new, for her, strange foods.

Once they were done stuffing everything into the car Takeshi took a detour to get a bite to eat, spending 2 hours buying fish had left both of them a bit peckish as they had only had a quick, small, breakfast.  
The next stop was an aquarium shop that was open early where he picked up an air pump that could run both on the standard 220V outlets as well as be powered by the 12V or 24V of car and truck systems, a diffuser hose, a refractometer and some aquarium salt which had Emelie very confused.  
“What are those for?”  
“It's a secret.”  
“Aw, come on, tell me... Pretty please?”  
Takeshi snorted at her begging.  
“Nuh-uh!”  
“Meanie!”  
She huffed at him with her arms crossed, but there was a twinge of a smile on her lips, she clearly enjoyed their mock bickering and he didn't mind.

“Oh, I see. To keep the crabs alive and happy until we eat them!”  
She laughed as she realized the use for the items when he poured all the crabs into the sink and cleaned out the tub and set it up like a simple saltwater tank.  
The purpose wasn't really to keep them alive and happy as much as to encourage them to purge, Takeshi wanted to give them some time to poop out any unpleasant stuff they may have eaten.

With some fish prep done they headed back out to find themselves some ravens.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Oh, they're coming closer!”  
The excited whisper made Takeshi smile at Emelie, they were seated in the large park by the botanical garden, gently trying to coax the local birds closer, especially the resident ravens.  
“Easy, calm yourself. Remember what I told you. The more excited you get the easier they will spook. They can feel me, understand the energy I'm projecting, they know I'm safe, but you are an uncertainty.”  
He gently scolded her and helped her calm down again and once she was calm the ravens started coming closer again and she carefully tossed another small piece of fish to them.  
She was a bundle of nervous energy as the raven hopped in and gobbled down the food.  
“Let's see if they will come closer if you hold out a fish in your hand.”  
While she extended her hand to offer a fish he gently ran his hand along her back, soothing her nervous energy and as she relaxed the ravens moved closer and after a few minutes the bravest of the ravens hopped over and snatched the fish before scurrying back a few steps.  
Once the others noticed that nothing happened they became braver and soon they were happily taking fish from Emelie's hand, and trying to steal them straight from the bucket.  
“Oh no you don't you little rascal.”  
Emelie laughed as she gently shooed the raven away and her aura sparkled with joy as the raven actually tried to resist, which allowed her to touch it.

“Thanks! That was amazing!”  
Emelie gave Takeshi another crushing hug which made him huff at her.  
“You may want to stop trying to strangle me then.”  
“It's not like it's working...”  
“No kidding.”  
They kept quipping back and forth while Takeshi prepared sushi rice and some of the seafood that his senses told him was safe for Emelie to eat as sashimi without freezing it first.  
“Here, try this.”  
He handed her a piece of nigiri sushi topped with mackerel that had been salted and marinated for a few hours while they had been playing with the ravens.  
“Oh, it's nice, but I still prefer my mackerel grilled or pan fried with just a touch of salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.”  
“Grilled mackerel it is then.”

“What about the crabs?”  
“We will leave them in the tub until it's time to eat them, the longer they are left to purge the better.”  
“Purge?”  
“Yeah, the reason we keep em in a tub of water for a while is to give them time to purge some of the crap from their bodies. I will cook them for snacks later tonight”  
“Aah, now that sounds like a good idea.”  
She laughed while taking another piece of the sushi from the plate.  
“Oi, wait until we are all seated!”  
"Meanie..."  
She grumbled at him, but scurried away to the table and joined Kasumi.

“Em, do have any plans for the future? Like studies, or a job you would like to try?”  
After dinner Takeshi decided to try to figure out a bit more about Emelie and make some more long term plans.  
“Well, I did just complete my Engineering prep year, and before that I read a few independent courses in psychology and English. But I really don't know what I want to do.”  
“So maybe just more independent courses then while you figure things out?”  
“Yeah, that's probably a good idea.”  
“If it's okay with you I would like to train you a bit, improve your martial art and self defense skills and add a bit of weapons training to it.”  
“Will you let me help you avenge my mom?”  
“If you learn well so it can be done without unnecessary risk.”  
“Then yes, I will train. And you better not hold back on me because I'm a _girl_ , or 'cause I'm _tiny_!”  
“I will be holding back, but not for those reasons. I will be holding back because you are human, mortal, and as such, somewhat fragile. The goal is to teach you, and you won't learn if there's no pain in failing, but there is no point in causing injury.”  
“But chances are I'll suffer the occasional cut, bruise or sprain...”  
“Indeed. So still want to do it?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Good, then we have a plan for you.”  
Takeshi took a deep breath, it was time to explain a bit more of the problems they would be facing as they left.

“When we leave for Miami I will have to hide for a while, there are people at the Miami estate that would easily see through my human disguise, recognizing my aura, and we are not ready to reveal that I survived.”  
“Oh, so what will you do?”  
“I will take my wolf form, it's the form I'm the most comfortable with using for longer periods of time. It won't change my aura, but human nature will protect me, they will sense my energy, but see a wolf and a tiny woman, they will simply refuse to believe that it was my energy they felt.”  
“So pretty basic denial then?”  
“Oh, it goes beyond basic. It's actually not uncommon for people to simply refuse to see something they don't believe can exist, like demons, they will avoid walking into them and such, but they will have no conscious awareness of them or recollection of having seen anything at all.”  
“Oh, now that sounds like an interesting study to make.”  
“Would you be okay with me registering myself as a pet dog, and you as my owner?”  
“Sure, sounds like fun!”  
She practically chirped at him with a smile.

They knew that it would be safer to conceal the fact that Takeshi was still alive even from the rest of the Kiryu family but they needed to tie up some loose ends at Kasumi's estate so Takeshi would assume his wolf-form and with some practice he had been able to make himself a bit smaller and with some forgery and hacking he would be able to pose as Emelie's pet dog.  
Even Kasumi would have to make some adjustments since the Blessing had changed her, making her look 20 rather than of 40, she had managed to cover most of the change by focusing on her transformation much like how Takeshi had forced his wolf-form to become smaller but it was very draining, especially since she lacked Takeshi's extreme reserve of spiritual energy.

“Ready to try the crabs?”  
“Finally! I eat them whole, right?”  
Takeshi nodded and offered her a plate with a few small, piping hot, crabs on it and she quickly grabbed one and popped it in her mouth.  
“Oh, they are crunchy like popcorn, but taste like crab. I like them!”  
Takeshi just smiled and piled up a bunch of the crabs on her plate.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Miami, August 12 2035

“Damn, did the plane take a wrong turn and land in hell?”  
Emelie groaned as they stepped out from the cool, air-conditioned terminal into the sweltering heat of the sidewalk.  
The weather was unusually hot and humid and much like her mother Emelie did not handle it well.  
“Don't worry, we will be heading up to Alaska in a week so hang in there. And who knows, maybe you will get to see a proper Miami thunderstorm. Besides there will be AC and a big pool where we are going.”  
Kasumi soothed her as the large luxury sedan stopped in front of them and the driver stepped out to help them get in to the car.  
Takeshi, in the slightly smaller version of his wolf-form, growled as the driver tried to take his leash from Emelie and instead walked around him and jumped into the back seat and moved over to make room for her to sit as well while Kasumi took a seat in the front.

“ _Sumi, are you sure you want to do that?”_  
Takeshi questioned Kasumi silently as she was adding another box filled with items to the side of the room thatw as for things that were to be sold.  
“It's okay. It's not like I use all of this stuff anyway. Besides, they were my friends as well, and they took my Kage away from me.”  
_“Then so be it. But please, don't overdo it. We still have the gold so don't sell or liquidate anything you may want or need later.”_  
“I won't, don't be such a worrywart.”  
“This is really confusing...”  
Emelie grumbled at the half conversation she was listening to, with Kasumi speaking out loud to allow her to keep up somewhat, and Takeshi using the bond to talk to Kasumi as he was unable to speak in his current form.  
“I'm sorry Em. Do you want me to fill you in later instead?”  
“No it's fine.”  
She absentmindedly scratched behind Takeshi's ear and laughed when she found a spot that made his leg twitch.

They needed money and a lot of it to move on to the next step of their plan to take down the GCTI and while Takeshi had used Amarok's contacts to have significant amounts of raw gold and platinum mined from within the pack's territory refined, verified and turned into private mint bullion rounds, they wanted to keep those as a backup.  
So Kasumi had contacted her attorney and instructed her to start liquidating funds and assets both to cash and into gold, she had sold her Miami estate and they were going there now to oversee the packing of the remaining furniture and art, some would be moved to shipping containers and sent to Hawaii where a new property would be purchased in Emelie's name.  
The rest would be put up with an auction house.  
They needed somewhere where they could move more freely so a new estate would be constructed on the Hawaii property and new staff would be recruited if needed, they could not risk using the Kiryu guards or other staff since they might recognize Takeshi, and they would be very confused by the suddenly younger Kasumi and to have to constantly hide would not be feasible.  
Once they had freed some resources they would look into what properties were available and buy something suitable, ideally something in a low population area.

Emelie spent most of her time hiding away in Kasumi's private library where both temperature and humidity was kept low to protect the books, Takeshi kept her company but to say he was unhappy about the situation would be a gross understatement, she was still recovering from the events of the past weeks and in his current form he could not offer as much support as he would like to.  
It was only in the evening she would venture outside to explore the area together with Takeshi.

“Wow, what an amazing thunderstorm!”  
Emelie was ecstatic with joy as she watched the massive thunderstorm rolling in from the ocean.  
It was the 3rd day of their stay that the abnormal weather finally broke, unleashing an intense thunderstorm that raged long into the night and Takeshi spent the time together with Emelie in the glass gazebo looking at the forces of nature being unleashed.

The 4th day of their stay the temperature was down to a more comfortable level and they had finally left to explore the city and Emelie seemed to enjoy herself as she dragged Takeshi between stores, though most of them would not allow him inside and Emelie refused to leave him outside to go inside on her own so a lot of time was spent window shopping and looking for stores that would allow him inside.  
“Miss, there are no dogs allowed here!”  
“He's my ESA.”  
“I don't care. Only certified service dogs are permitted!”  
Emelie sighed and left the café where she had been planning on grabbing a snack.  
Takeshi had created a registry for Emelie listing him as an emotional support animal, but there were still many places that would refuse to let dogs inside unless they were certified service dogs, such as seeing-eye-dogs.

At the moment he found himself sitting next to her at a bench overlooking Ocean Drive, she was making quick work of a large ice cream while talking to him in hushed tones, complaining about him not being able to answer her.  
Takeshi agreed with her wholeheartedly, he had tried using the telepathic communication he usually used while transformed but it seemed like it only worked with other Blessed.  
When they got back to Alaska he intended to bring Emelie before the Mother and see if there was some way teach her to use the telepathic communication of the Blessed without her having to go through the entire process of becoming one of them.  
Or if he could learn to use it to at least be able to _transmit_ to others, while he had no plans of ending up in a situation like this again you never knew and if there was one thing he had learned it was that _Better safe than sorry_ was a good philosophy.  
He could always train her as dantai, but he was not ready for that yet, he could not risk the pain of another loss, not this soon, perhaps if she became one of the Blessed he would eventually form that bond if she wanted to.  
But right now all he wanted was to soothe the pain and confusion he could feel in her soul and just wrapping her in his aura only did so much when he couldn't speak with her.  
He had considered resuming his human form somewhere away from the estate but the risks were to great, he had a constant feeling of being watched ever since they landed in Miami and he guessed it was Kiryu guards loyal to the council keeping an eye on Kasumi's unexpected guest.  
Especially since Kasumi was funneling large amounts of funds to Emelie and buying things in her name.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Sumi, is this for real?”  
Emelie was staring at the computer screen displaying various listings for land available for purchase.  
Kasumi looked at the listing that Emelie was pointing at before nodding.  
“Mhm.”  
“Seriously? Rich people are insane...”  
“The State of Hawaii is selling a dormant volcanic island. It happens from time to time.”  
“Wow. It's pretty big isn't it? I'm not very good at imperial, but 4500 acres sounds pretty big.”  
Takeshi quickly pulled on the bond with Kasumi and told her the conversion numbers to convert acres to square kilometers.  
“Our resident genius says to divide by 250 for an approximate conversion to square kilometers.”  
“So 18 square, or about 3 by 6 kilometers, that's the size of a small city...”  
Curiosity made her open the listing to look at the pictures of the property.  
“Wow, it's beautiful. No price listed though so it's probably crazy expensive...”  
“Well how about we give the broker a call? We can at least ask how much it is.”  
Takeshi could feel that Kasumi was just as excited as Emelie so he jumped into the couch and poked his nose over Emelie's shoulder to look at the screen and he found himself agreeing it was really nice place.  
Based on the map it seemed like 3 by 6 kilometers was pretty accurate, it even came with it's own volcano, and an nicely sized lagoon at the coast opposite to the volcano.  
“I guess...”  
Emelie sounded hesitant though.

About an hour later Kasumi had managed to get a hold of the person in charge of the sale of the island and gotten the asking price for it.  
_“It's quite a bit more than we intended to spend, but it_ _ **is**_ _doable. Also, the listed acres are land only, there is a significant ocean area included as well.”_  
Kasumi reached out over the bond while talking on the phone.  
_“The asking price is 350,000,000 US dollars but I it sounds like they are not actually expecting to get that. I think I can knock it down quite a bit.”  
“Do it. I'll distract her a bit.”_  
Takeshi turned to Emelie and bumped his head against her hand.  
“Hmm?”  
When he gently tugged her arm and wagged his tail at her she got up with a gleeful smile.  
“Oh, someone needs a _pinkenad_.”  
He huffed at the silly made up word she was using, a portmanteau of the Swedish words _Pinka_ and _Promenad_ , pinka meant to pee and promenad was one of several words for taking a walk.  
It was another downside of their current arrangement, to avoid suspicion he needed to be walked like any other city dog, something Emelie was all too happy to do.

When they returned Kasumi greeted them with a smile.  
“Well, I managed to knock it down to 250.”  
“Wait, you actually bought that island? You now own an entire tropical paradise island?!”  
“Actually, no. You own it.”  
**“What?!”  
** The volume made Takeshi yelp and whine as it hurt his ears.  
“Remember all that paperwork we worked on before leaving Sweden?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Part of that was setting up a trust with you as the beneficiary and a shell corporation as the trustee. That trust is now the owner of _an entire tropical paradise island_.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

It was two weeks after their arrival when they finally left for Seattle, finalizing the sale of the estate had taken longer than planned as the council tried to interfere but they were now on their way and Takeshi found himself once again stuck in a crate in the cargo-hold of a plane, not his favorite method of travel but once they landed in Seattle they would be switching to the Blackout and he would finally be able to shed the borrowed form in favor of his original one.  
The stay in Alaska would be a fairly short one before heading to Hawaii to plan and oversee the construction of a new estate.  
A mobile housing unit had been ordered along with a high yield mobile power plant fitted with a satellite communications base station and the estimated time to get them constructed and readied on site was a month, until then they would stay with Amarok in the den.  
Once inside the Blackout, Kasumi triggered the security protocols by Takeshi's instructions and when the screens showed all clear he resumed his human form, helped Emelie get strapped in and took the controls.  
A 2 hour flight later Takeshi set the Blackout down on the small landing-pad near the den, they could have made it here in half the time but he didn't want to chance going supersonic since Emelie had little experience with flying.

During the past few years they had worked on re-opening the cave that was destroyed in the missile attack that claimed the lives of his unit, widening the cave to be able to fit the Blackout and the materials removed had been used to create the landing-pad.  
The waterfall still hid the entrance to the cave but an overhang protected the opening making it possible to move the Blackout in and out of the cave without having to move it through the waterfall.  
With the help of the Mother Takeshi had managed to re-enforce the cave using crystalline growths similar to those of the Sanctuary not only providing structural strength but also acting as simple lighting.  
It was the first time it was actually used though, they figured it would be a bit of a hassle to transport both the luggage and Emelie cross country when there was no snow for sleds so they choose to use it despite it not being entirely completed yet, growing the crystals was very slow work and took a lot of energy to direct them to grow as needed.  
It was Matthews who had made it possible though, he had brought information to Takeshi about a new type of engine that could be fitted to a Blackout, the engine was designed around a new type of fuel cell that eliminated the need to worry about having access to high grade aviation fuel.  
It had taken nearly a year to arrange but they had managed to get the system fitted to his Blackout.

Emelie was ecstatic as they walked through the tunnels from the hangar to the den and both Kasumi and Takeshi was laughing at her antics as she almost tripped over the gaggle of pups running around their feet.  
They had unusually many pups this year as all of the females from Sesi's first litter had their first litters along with two of the Blessed so there were five litters of pups, a grand total of 39 pups.  
Most of them were regular wolves so they would not live as long as their Blessed pack-mates and most would probably leave as they got older, but right now it was chaos.  
Once their bags had been placed in the den and the pups ushered into the whelping chamber and back under the watchful eye of their mother's they had a quick bite to eat and a few hours of rest before Takeshi asked Emelie to follow him.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The look on Emelie's face when they entered the tunnel leading to the Sanctuary was priceless.  
“This place is amazing! It's all crystal, but alive, and glowing.”  
She stopped and studied one of the creatures that looked very much like a Christmas tree worm and after a few moments she reached out and carefully touched the feathery spiral and squeaked when it instantly vanished into the safety of its tube.  
“You know, some of these creatures carry quite deadly toxins.”  
Takeshi cautioned her as she was about to poke another of them.  
“Like you would let me touch one that would hurt me.”  
She countered with total confidence, and of course she was correct, had she tried to touch something that would harm her he would have stopped her.  
These creatures might possess extremely deadly toxins but they also knew if something was prey or a threat and they did not harm things that didn't fall into those categories so she was quite safe.  
But that didn't mean he couldn't tease her a bit.

Once inside the Sanctuary she quickly found her way to the various insects and other animals and there was pure joy pouring from her aura as a flock of tiny hummingbirds with long shimmering tails flitted over and had a closer look at her, some of them even landing on her hand when she held it out.  
While Emelie was distracted with watching the fish and capturing the tiny crabs Takeshi went to the Soul-tree to ask permission for her to enter the annex, a permission that was granted before he was even done asking.  
_**“Of course she may enter, there is after all someone here that has been waiting for a long time for a chance to meet her.”  
**_ Takeshi realized that the Mother was referring to Maria's soul, the souls of his team clung to this world, refusing to pass on before his oaths had been fulfilled.  
“Emelie, would you come over here please.”  
He called for her and when she came walking up to him she was still surrounded by the hummingbirds and she was carrying a small frilled lizard.  
“I see you found some friends.”  
He laughed as she put the lizard on a nearby branch.  
“These are amazing, you were right when you said words could not do this place justice.”  
She hesitated for a moment as she looked into the annex  
“So this is the place isn't it, where mom is buried?”  
Sorrow began to flow through her aura again as she took a hesitant step closer to the entrance.  
“It is, it is also the inner Sanctuary of the Mother, and this wisteria is the Soul-tree. If you come inside there is someone here who has waited a long time to meet you.”

Emelie looked confused by his words as she entered the annex and followed him to the gnarled stem of the wisteria and stopped in front of him.  
She gasped in shock as the ghostly figure of Maria stepped out from behind the tree.  
When the spirit reached out toward her she scrambled back, crashing into Takeshi's chest and her scent spiked with fear.  
“Easy, that is your mother's soul, she has been waiting a long time for this, but she is no longer able to speak. The only way she can talk to you is if you allow her to touch you. Trust me, you will be safe.”  
She still hesitated to step away from him so he put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle nudge and she stepped forward, but not enough to step out of his reach so he kept his hands on her shoulders as she reached out to Maria's spirit.  
He could feel the moment the spirit touched her but he did not expect her to go limp and he quickly caught her before she could fall and carefully sat down with her still form in his lap.  
While Emelie spoke with her mother's spirit Takeshi spoke with the Mother, asking her if there was an easy way to solve the communication problem while he was in animal form. Unfortunately there was no easy way, the only way anyone not blessed would be able to hear him was if they carried telepathic abilities, latent or active did not matter as long as the ability was there.  
Emelie however did not possess this ability but the Mother had a suggestion, she could spawn a creature to act as a familiar, it would be created from Emelie's blood, and through that blood it would be bonded to Emelie and that bond would make it able to communicate with her, and the creature would be one of the blessed so Takeshi would be able to communicate with it and it would relay it to Emelie, and if needed it could relay her thoughts to Takeshi or Kasumi. _ **  
**_

“ _ **Do you intend to grant her the Blessing?”**_  
The Mother's question surprised Takeshi for a moment,  
_“But, that is for you alone to grant, is it not?”  
__**“You are our Chosen, one of the reasons we chose you was for you to go into the world and return The Blessing to those who can no longer hear our voices. This world is dying, the humans' greed and lust for power is destroying the planet, and as it is damaged so am I for I am its very life-force.”  
**_ Takeshi could feel the burn in his blood and he knew his fate was once again about to shift.  
_**“The end has already begun and as a last resort this world will try to purge itself of what is harming it. Natural disasters will become more frequent and more severe, plagues will spread across the world. I can't control this anymore than a human can control their immune system.”**_  
Takeshi nodded his understanding, he had a feeling he would not like what came next.  
_**“Your duty in this will be twofold. You will try to sway mankind into caring for the survival of this world over their greed. But more importantly you will find those who are worthy and grant them the Blessing, train them and protect them. If things do not change mankind will be wiped out only those blessed in some way will survive.”**_  
Her choice of words made him wonder,  
_“There are other Blessed?”  
__**“There are many forms of blessings, among humans there those who carry the blood of creatures not of this realm, many would call them 'Tainted' carrying the blood of demons, dragons and other creatures in their veins but this blood blesses them with a strength beyond that of a human, it will help protect them. And many demons will rise to protect those that carry their blood. This will allow enough to survive to begin again and hopefully remember the mistakes of their predecessors.”  
**__“I assume that if it comes to that, trying to ensure they remember and don't repeat their mistakes will be one of my duties as well?”  
__**“Indeed it will. But for now I believe your charge is done speaking with her mother.”  
**_ True to her words he could feel Emelie begin to move again so he turned his attention back to her.

“Welcome back, how was you chat with your mother?”  
“It was, odd... But I am grateful I got the chance even if it was just her ghost. She told me many things but most of all I could feel it, what she was feeling...”  
She turned into him and buried her face as the tears began to fall but now the pain had faded somewhat, there was grief but not the searing pain that had been there before and there was now relief and hope there as well.  
A movement in the corner of his eye made Takeshi look up and he was somewhat surprised to see Maria's spirit still standing there, reaching out her hand toward him, asking his permission to touch him and he nodded his consent.  
Her touch carried her gratitude and as she faded away he could feel the last remnants of her life-force flow through him and settle in one of the Sayuri over his heart, and apparently Emelie felt something as well because she lifted her head and pulled apart the top of his gi to reveal the tattoos.  
“Look, one of them has changed, the colors are different.”  
It was not a big change but the colors were brighter, more vivid and the innermost part of each petal had taken on a more golden hue.  
He could feel the change as well, deeming his oath fulfilled Maria had been able to move on and the Sayuri had changed to reflected that.  
“That one is your mother's, she is at peace now.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

They both sat in silence until the chiming of the wisteria signaled the Mother's presence.  
_**“Young one, my Chosen has told me it troubles you that you are unable to hear him when he takes the form of the beast.”  
**_ Emelie looked around trying to figure out what the voice was and where it was coming from.  
“That is the voice of the Mother, it would be rather rude not to answer her in her own house, wouldn't it?”  
Takeshi explain and encouraged her to answer.  
“Yes.”  
Her voice held a slight tremble and she swallowed before continuing.  
“I didn't like that I couldn't understand what he was trying to say, I know he tried but I just couldn't hear him.”  
_**“I can help you change that if you are willing to give up some of your blood. I can use it to give birth to a creature that would be a part of you in a sense and it would also be a Blessed able to speak freely both with you and the Blessed.”  
**_ Emelie looked at Takeshi for guidance and he could feel the beast stir and once again he could feel that it was pleased with her for trusting him and for looking to him for guidance, but this was not something he could help her with.  
“This is something you have to choose for yourself, but I can promise you that while it will cause some pain it will not harm you.”  
Emelie was silent for a while before looking up at the wisteria,  
“You said you would birth a _creature_ from my blood, what kind of creature?”  
_**“Even I do not know that, it would be your soul that determines what would be born from your blood.”**_  
“Oh, and it is safe?”  
_**“You have my word you will not be harmed outside of what is needed to obtain your blood.”**_  
“Okay, I'll do it. So, what do I have to do?”  
Laughter rang through the chimes as a vine began to climb the trunk of the wisteria and soon there was a small pitcher plant hanging in front of them.  
_**“You will need to fill that with your blood.”  
**_ Emelie held out her hand toward Takeshi.  
“Please, I can't do it on my own.”  
He took her hand and allowed one of his clawed nails to grow longer and sharper and used it to cut into her palm, he found that her whimper and the scent of her blood was highly unsettling but he pushed the feeling aside and held her hand above the plant until her blood had filled the plant.  
A sudden strong impulse from the beast made him lick the cut and to his surprise is instantly healed, this was something that would come in handy to know.  
“Thanks.”  
She pulled her hand back and inspected it.  
“That's amazing, it's completely healed.”

They watched as the pitcher plant closed and began to glow, growing larger before their eyes, a few minutes later the glow faded and the Mother told Emelie to reach inside and claim her familiar.  
As she reached inside she could feel something slide against her hand and then circle around her wrist,  
“It's a snake!”  
She exclaimed with a smile as she pulled out her hand to reveal an emerald snake, deep ruby eyes and markings contrasting against the vivid green.  
Its slender body reminded Takeshi of a vine snake but it had the hood of a cobra and a heart shaped head.  
When he reached out for it it flicked its tongue a few times before opening its jaws wide and displaying long fangs dripping with venom.  
_**“Careful there, the serpent's venom will kill even a Blessed in a matter of seconds. She is the only one its bite will not harm.”  
**_ Takeshi quickly pulled his hand back but couldn't help smiling as Emelie scolded the serpent, telling it that he was her friend and that it was not allowed to bite him.  
It hung its head for a moment before it began to slither up her arm and as it did it began to shrink and moments later it was coiled around her upper arm like an armlet and as it stilled its skin changed slightly making it look entirely like a piece of jewelry.  
“Thank you, she is beautiful, perfect!”  
Emelie's aura radiated joy as she expressed her gratitude.  
_**“I merely gave life to the image in your soul, you are the one who gave her form. You have already proven yourself able to alter that image to suit your needs, have my Chosen train you and you will be able to make her anything you need her to be.”  
**_ With that they could feel Her presence leave the annex and Takeshi could feel one last thought touch his mind, telling him to return with Emelie when they were ready to leave for Hawaii.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi sat on his pallet meditating, trying to calm the beast that was pacing its cage.  
Emelie's blood had set it off somehow and it was far too agitated for him to be able to communicate with it so all he could do was to try to calm it enough to be able to understand it.  
A presence at the entrance to his chamber called his attention back to the outside world and as he left he noticed that the beast had stopped pacing and was now focused on tapping in to his senses, that on its own would have been enough to tell him that it was Emelie waiting outside.  
He waited for her to knock but she didn't and he could sense her increasing hesitancy, something was obviously on her mind but she was losing her nerve so he decided to call out for her.  
“Emelie _sweetie,_ come inside.”  
A few seconds later the hides were pushed aside and she slipped inside.  
“I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you.”  
She sat down on the pallet next to him.  
“It's okay, you didn't. And even if you did it would still be okay. Now, what is bothering you?”  
She blushed for a moment before barely whispering.  
“I can't sleep.”

He could tell it was not the entire reason, probably not even the true reason why she had come, but if she was not ready to tell him he would not pressure her to.  
It was not uncommon that she came to him to sleep, in the few weeks he had known her she had spent more nights sleeping in his lap than in her own bed, and even the nights she did sleep in her bed she had fallen asleep on him and he had carried her to her room.  
He shook his head with a sigh and a smile as he stood up.  
“Get in, I'll be right back.”  
She nodded with a bright smile and scurried in under the covers while he went to relieve himself, when he got back she had crawled up against the wall and was waiting for him and the moment he joined her she wiggled up against him and used his arm for a pillow.  
“Is there any point in getting you your own bed?”  
He teased her as he adjusted her slightly so he could place his other arm around her in a more comfortable position.  
“Not if I have any say in the matter.”  
She mumbled and moments later she was sleeping.  
He returned to his meditation to see if he could get any answers from the beast and this time he found it at rest, radiating contentment and after some coaxing he managed to get an idea of what was going on.  
The beast considered Emelie to be _pack_ , and _pack_ was to be protected, it agreed that sometimes inflicting pain in order to protect was unavoidable but it still went against every instinct to hurt a pack-mate.  
That she came to them for comfort despite what had happened soothed those instincts and allowed the beast to relax again.  
Takeshi tried to get it to explain just what _pack_ was but it refused to give him a straight answer only telling him that he would understand when he was ready to truly be an _Alpha_.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi spent the days training Emelie, teaching her meditation and controlling her familiar which was not an easy task as she would rather spend her time playing with the pups or exploring the wonders of the Sanctuary.  
But two weeks later it was his turn to be the distracted one as he was awakened by cursing in Swedish and the muted scent of Emelie's blood.  
“What's the matter?”  
At first she blushed and sputtered then she hid her face under the covers before answering with a groan.  
“It's my period...”  
Takeshi of course already knew this, the scent was easy to recognize, what he did not understand was why she was cursing about it.  
“I wasn't supposed to need a booster shot for another 6 months minimum.”  
She complained as she curled into herself.  
“Booster shoot?”  
He sounded confused and Emelie sighed.  
“Men! My _blockers_ of course!”

Takeshi felt rather stupid for a moment as he realized what she was referring to, _Blockers_ was the nickname given to a very popular contraceptive that not only prevented pregnancies but it also completely removed the female's periods for as long as it lasted and an injection would last for about 6 years so most would take booster shots every 5 years.  
If they wanted to get pregnant before that all they needed was a different injection and within a month their cycle and fertility would be back to normal.  
He should have realized it sooner as all the female GCTI personnel took the injections.  
“I was gonna get a booster shot when we got to Hawaii but now I'm going to have to wait a year before I can get a new shot.”  
She groaned and clutched her stomach for a moment before new curses could be heard.  
“That's it, I'm going to the hot-spring, and you better find me some painkillers and something sweet by the time I get out of there!”

Takeshi just nodded and headed out to find something for her, it was obvious she suffered cramps and he had no intention of risking the temper of an already high spirited and temperamental female while she was in such a condition.  
So while Emelie relaxed in the hot water he found some fruits and berries in the storeroom and a bar of chocolate from some of the rations Matthews had dropped of last time they met.  
It wasn't the best chocolate by far, but by combining it with birch sugar and then separate it into batches and mix it with peppermint, fennel seed and hot peppers he was able to enhance the taste.  
By dipping the fruits and berries in the different chocolate mixes he was able to create a selection of simple chocolate sweets.  
A bottle of blackcurrant juice was heated and honey, cinnamon, cloves and ginger was added along with yarrow to help reduce pain and cramping, he had considered adding willow bark but its blood-thinning properties would be less desirable at the moment.  
He brought it to her in the hot-spring and she didn't even yell at him for walking in on her while she was taking a bath, much too focused on the treats he brought her to bother.  
“When you feel better we will go to the Sanctuary, we should be able to find something to help you there.”  
A distracted humming was the only response he got as she made short work of the sweets and he simply sat down by the entrance and waited for her.  
She seemed to have totally forgotten that he was actually in the chamber as she got out of the water and he quickly turned his back to give her some privacy.  
“Okay, I'm done, let's go! I wanna get this over with like yesterday if possible.”  
She brushed past him and grabbed his hand as she did and began to pull him along.  
Emelie waited outside the annex as Takeshi spoke to the Mother about the problem and a few minutes later he came back outside and handed her two small vials, one blue and one green.  
“Drink the green one now, it will help minimize the problems this time. The blue one is for your serpent, it will allow her to produce a venom that has similar effects as the injections and she will simply have to bite you for it to work.”  
She nodded and emptied the green liquid before carefully feeding the blue one to the serpent.  
“Hey, Take. Is it okay if I just stay here today? I really don't feel like training.”  
“Of course.”  
He was just about to suggest the same himself but he was glad she beat him to it, this way he would not have to make excuses.  
The scent of her blood had the beast riled up and it was quite frankly driving him up the walls as well.  
“I need to go hunting anyway so you just stay here and relax and we will get back to training when you feel better.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Finding Home_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Between training Emelie and helping Amarok gather food one month passed fast and they were now getting ready to leave and head for Hawaii, while Kasumi brought the last items on board the Blackout, Takeshi and Emelie were heading down to the Soul-tree as requested.  
_**“Enter Emelie, I have a task for you.”  
**_ The voice of The Mother called from inside the annex and Emelie stepped inside.  
_**“As you leave this place I would like you to carry this seed to your new home, place it at the center of the island and it will in time become a new Sanctuary from where I can speak to the Blessed”**_  
As She spoke the moss pulled back and revealed a crystalline bulb, drop shaped and the size of a large ostrich egg with a rainbow of colors swirling within.  
“But, Takeshi is your Chosen, I'm not even one of the Blessed. Shouldn't he be the one to carry it?”  
Emelie's objections caused a laugh to chime through the wisteria.  
_**“Indeed he is, Chosen, Warrior, Scholar and Guardian. But for all the things he is and can be there is one thing he can never be, and that is a Mother. Only a Mother may carry the Seed of Life from one place to another, only a Mother can awaken it once placed in its new home. So this task I entrust to you Emelie.”  
**_ “But I'm not a mother...”  
_**“You may still be untouched, but your essence is still that of a Mother.”**_  
Emelie suddenly blushed a vivid scarlet and began to splutter  
“Gee, thanks. Tell everyone I'm a 20 year old virgin will you.”  
_**“Oh, him? He already knows.”  
**_ A bell like laughter rang through the annex.  
“What? How?”  
She turned to face Takeshi as she questioned him, but he just smiled and tapped his nose.  
“You can smell it?!”  
The mortification was obvious in her aura and scent.  
He focused on his aura, bringing it forth so that she would be able to see it before touching her aura, the touch causing it to become visible to her.  
“Even if I couldn't smell it, your aura practically screams it to anyone who can see or feel.”  
She groaned and turned back toward the wisteria and looked at the seed sitting on the ground, looking over her shoulder she silently asked him for guidance.  
Takeshi just nodded for her to take the seed and she carefully lifted it, surprised at how heavy it was.  
“It's heavier than it looks, and so warm. So alive...”  
She carefully stroked the seed before gently clutching it against her chest.  
_**“Do not worry, it is not fragile, however it needs warmth and touch, as long as you hold on to it it will be fine. Now go, face your destiny.”  
**_

Meanwhile another conversation was going on in Takeshi's mind as She explained to him that from now on he would be the one to chose who would join him as a Blessed, and since it would take years for the new Sanctuary to be completed the Trial would not be a viable path, and the Curse much to risky.  
And with the twisted humor only She was capable of Her power flowed through him and She told him that all it would take from now on was his intent, and a bite.  
Like some mainstream werewolf story, as he protested She laughed and asked him just where he thought the legends behind such stories came from before telling him it was time for them to go.

“Come on Take, let's go!”  
Emelie was back to her usual excitable self and Takeshi just shook his head with a laugh.  
“Hai hai _sweetie_.”  
As they left a final voice whispered through his mind.  
_**“The container by the doorway holds a little parting gift for her, something to remember this place by while the Seed grows.”  
**_ Takeshi just shrugged and grabbed the leather pack as he left the annex, when he put it over his shoulder he could feel the tiny auras inside and understood what it was, some of the creatures were coming with them.  
Once they reached the Blackout he secured the pack with the rest of the cargo and then helped Emelie get strapped in as her precious cargo made it hard for her to do it herself and she did not want to risk trying.

5 hours later the island came into sight like a shimmering green jewel in the sea, and it started to sink in how large it actually was.

 


	4. Designs

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Designs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Hawaii October 1st 2035

“Wow, it's amazing!”  
_“Sugoi...”  
_ Emelie and Kasumi both voiced their opinion about the island in their own way, Emelie being rather hyper, and Kasumi reverting to Japanese.  
“Indeed, it's even more beautiful than the pictures indicated.”  
Takeshi had activated the VTOL system on the Blackout and used it maintain altitude while slowly circling their new home, it was a bit shaky, but allowed them a good opportunity to look at the island.  
“How about we land and get settled in a bit then go explore the island properly?”  
The ladies quickly agreed and he swung them around and moved in over the lagoon to the temporary landing platform that had been constructed at the beach.

While Kasumi brought their luggage from the Blackout to the mobile housing unit Takeshi brought Emelie to the center of the island.  
He had spent some time during the flight to map the coordinates and now he was following the GPS in his watch while carrying her in his arms, it was quite a trek to the center of the island and Emelie was afraid she would trip and damage the egg.  
She was also a bit apprehensive about not being able to do what she was supposed to once they got there but he was sure that once they got close she would know what to do, over the years he had learned that instincts could be a powerful thing.  
“This is where we need to be, now relax and it will come to you. She would not have have given you this task if you didn't have what it takes.”  
Emelie slowly walked up to the area he pointed out as the center of the island and began to pace after a few minutes she suddenly stopped and pointed to a spot on the ground.  
“Take, I need to bury it here, can you dig a hole for me? Right here, pretty deep, like a meter or so.”  
He changed his form into that of the bear and used powerful paws to tear away roots and dirt where she pointed, when he was done she walked up to the edge.  
“Help me down please.”  
_“Your wish is my command.”_  
He teased as he carefully lifted her into the hole, mindful of the large claws of the bear-form.

She carefully set the seed down and used one hand to balance it while using the other to carefully bank some of the soil around it to help keep it balanced.  
Sitting down she placed both hands on the seed and closed her eyes and slowly it began to glow and crystal roots buried into the soil before she removed her hands and asked him to help her up and cover the hole up.  
Once the hole was covered the glow covered the ground for a moment and the vegetation returned and moments later there was no trace that anything had ever been buried there and a seedling began to sprout, soon a small jacaranda tree stood before them.  
It was only a normal tree, but it still marked the spot clearly, and Takeshi was sure that once the Hawaii Sanctuary was complete they would find a crystal jacaranda as the Soul-tree instead of a wisteria like the Alaska Sanctuary.

“Come, there is something waiting for you back at the Blackout.”  
He waited for her to join him before heading back.  
They took the pack from the Blackout and went to the house that would be their home until the new estate was ready to move in to and once in the main room he placed it on the low table and began opening it.  
“The Mother told me to bring this for you as something to remember the Sanctuary by while the new one grows.”

Opening it up revealed a number of smaller containers carefully sorted into the larger one, the fit so perfect that no filling materials had been needed to keep the contents from shifting.  
Only a thin opaque substance covered the surface of each container, most lightly only there to conceal the contents.  
After carefully removing all the smaller containers and pulling away the thin covering from the large one they found that it was in fact designed to be a vivarium, complete with a pair of sliding doors.  
Out of curiosity Takeshi placed his hand against the perfectly transparent surface and pushed his aura into it, as he suspected a crystalline structure became visible and he could feel it shift under his energies, he would be able to manipulate its size and shape rather extensively.  
Moving on to the second largest container revealed another transparent crystal box filled with small crystal plants, hundreds of tiny seedlings packed into moss.  
Much like the previous one the next one contained small fragments of the coral like growths found in the crystal cavern of the Sanctuary.  
The third one was much heavier than the previous ones and once opened was revealed to be filled with water and a wide selection of the aquatic plants of the pool, closer inspection also revealed clusters of eggs clinging to the plants.  
Takeshi could feel them radiating a slight power, as far as he could tell its purpose was to protect them so that the plants could be handled without damaging them as well as keep them in suspended animation until a habitat was ready for them to hatch.  
Opening more containers revealed insects, reptiles, various birds as well as crabs and other creatures, all of them carefully packed and protected in suspended animation.  
The final container held small packets of seeds and a fine sand that Takeshi would be able to turn into larger crystals that would be used to create a substrate for the plants and creatures to grow in, it also contained several small round crystals that pulsed with power, these would give all the plants and creatures the energy they needed to live, unlike normal animals they did not need to eat as long as they were close to these nodes.

“We can make an entire Sanctuary with these!”  
Emelie was overjoyed and immediately began looking for a suitable place to put the vivarium and begin to prepare for the creatures and plants.  
“We could, but we better settle for just a few for now and let the rest remain dormant until our house has been built.”  
“Aww, but I want all of them... How am I supposed to pick only a few?”  
“It would be hard to move them to the house if you wake all of them. You should pick a few that will be easy to move.”  
It took a while but Takeshi managed to convince her to only bring a few of them out of the suspended animation and wait until the estate was done before waking the rest, they would be perfectly safe for years in their current state.

In the end they created 2 habitats:  
A vivarium that held a small body of water at the bottom which was decorated with a few water lilies and other aquatic plants, then some crabs, frogs and salamanders were selected to make the pond their home.  
Along the back a small waterfall provided moisture to the habitat that contained mostly moss and fern like plants as well as some of the corals and a few of the tube worms with their feathery appendages.

The largest of the smaller containers had after some careful manipulation been shaped into a round dome cage, the honeycomb mesh of iridescent crystal covering a weeping cherry tree with white, pink and purple flowers and among the branches a small flock of hummingbirds flitted around, the mesh while not fine enough to prevent them from exiting the cage would keep predators from entering it.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Designs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“This lagoon is amazing, it's huge!”  
“About 500 meters across and the deepest parts are roughly 50 meters deep according to the survey map.”  
Takeshi pointed to the map on the tablet and explained a bit about how to read it.  
“Take, can I have a boat?”  
Emelie's sudden question made him laugh.  
“Of course, I have already ordered a selection of water vehicles that should be arriving tomorrow or the day after. Do you know how to operate a PWC?”  
“A what?”  
“Personal watercraft.”  
“Oh, you mean like a Jet Ski or Waverunner?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Mhm, I can use both types. I can also paddle a canoe, row a boat, pilot smaller powerboats, and I used sail an optimist when I was younger. But, isn't that stuff you already know?”  
“I had you watched, yes. But I tried as much as I could not to invade your privacy unless absolutely necessary.”  
“How much **did** you learn about me?”

Takeshi sighed deeply, this was one of the conversations he had been dreading.  
“You don't want to talk about that, do you?”  
“No, not really. But you deserve to know.”  
With a deep breath he began to tell her about how he had located her, the owl's that had been watching her, and all the information that had been gathered.  
“Wait! You had my medical records hacked?!”  
“Yes. Out of concern for your height, or well, lack of it. To make sure there was no medical problem causing it. Your mother was very tall, and you, well, not so much.”  
He demonstrated his point with a teasing smile by crossing his arms in front of him and holding them out at shoulder height and taking a step toward her, showing that she was able to stand under his crossed arms with him barely touching her hair.  
“I know I'm a shortie, no need to remind me!”  
There was a pang of old pain in her voice that instantly made Takeshi wrap his arms around her.  
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”  
“I know...”  
She sighed softly as she burrowed her face in his chest.  
“It was one of the reasons you got into so many fights, wasn't it?”  
“It was...”

He kept holding her close, but soon a certain part of his anatomy started responding to the closeness and he tried to shift away so she wouldn't notice, but she clung on and pressed herself against him for a moment, which made matters a lot worse, before letting go with a laugh.  
“You know, I may be a virgin, but I'm not some some blushing little maiden who will run for the hills or faint if a guy gets a hard-on.”  
“Well, this guy happen to be nearly twice your age, and was your mother's lover. I simply don't want to make you uncomfortable with my lack of control over my baser instincts. Or cross any lines.”  
“Don't worry I'll make sure you know if you do.”  
There was a hint of something in her voice that made Takeshi cringe and hold his hands up in mock defense.  
“I think I rather try to avoid that ever being necessary.”  
“My my, big bad Take scared of little ol' me?”  
“Definitely!”  
Emelie broke down laughing at the answer, and the way he pretended to be terrified.  
“Remember, I knew your mother.”  
The tone was back to teasing again.  
“Am I really that much like her?”  
“You are. The most obvious difference would be that you are more open, free, with your emotions.”  
“Oh, not the fact that I'm tiny?”  
“I actually find that to be quite nice...”  
“What?”  
Emelie's confusion was total so Takeshi just stepped close to her, wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head under his chin.  
“See?”  
When she nodded slowly he leaned in and gave her a peck on the forehead which made her pout and give him a pretty impressive growl but she didn't make any attempt at resistance.

“Any particular kind of boat you would like?”  
Takeshi brought the topic back to where it had been before they got sidetracked.  
“Well, I don't know what you have already bought, but a houseboat would be a good idea in case we would like to have guests. A good fishing boat of course.”  
“Of course.”  
“And well... A nice boat for cruising the islands...”  
Her somewhat hesitant tone made him laugh again.  
“What have I said about worrying about what things cost?”  
“But...”  
“No buts. If there is something you would like, just ask. If it's too much for us I will let you know, and try to find a solution.”  
“But...”  
“Ahem...”  
She sighed deeply before raising her hand a pointedly putting a finger over his lips to silence him and he quickly nipped at them with a grin, and a nod that he wouldn't interrupt again.  
“It's just... I don't want be taking advantage of you, or mooching of you guys.”  
“I don't want you to worry about things like that. I am more than happy to support you until you feel you are ready to support yourself.”  
“It's not all that easy you know...”  
“I know. But we will figure it out. As for that boat, one of the items to be delivered is a 36 foot catamaran.”  
“Whee!”  
He didn't mention that he was in the market for a yacht as well, he just hadn't found a design he liked.  
He wanted something large, with room to expand his family, but comfort was important so he was looking toward catamaran or trimaran designs, but they weren't all that popular, most yachts were designed as large mono-hulls.  
The catamaran and trimaran designs had been popular some 15 to 20 years ago though so he was thinking about buying a used yacht and have it refurbished and retrofit it with modern electric engines.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Designs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

One week later Takeshi and Emelie headed to Honolulu to meet with the architects that had answered the ads they had placed when they bought the island.  
They had received a lot of response and now they would interview all of those who wanted to design the buildings for the estate, they had made requests via several agencies to try to find the perfect design for what would be their main home for a long time.

“Not even close. How in the world do they call this a natural building? This would stand out like a sore thumb..”  
Takeshi tossed another concept sketch aside with a muttered curse, finding an architect to build the main house for the new estate was harder than anticipated and they had looked at hundreds of sketches and ideas but none of them felt right.  
They had all agreed that they wanted something that would blend into the environment with minimum impact, something that looked like it belonged there, like it was a part of the island.  
Already they had many great designs for power generation, waste disposal and other forms of resource management, once completed the estate would be fully self sufficient but so far none of the designs for the main house had been even close to what they wanted.

They had spent nearly two weeks in Honolulu meeting with a long list of architects but yet another sketch of a steel and glass monstrosity found its way to the junk pile and as the architect that had presented it walked out of the small office they were renting Takeshi found himself fighting an urge to get out and just kill something.  
Emelie's hands on his shoulders dispelled the urge for a moment as she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.  
“Take, you're growling again.”  
He sighed and focused on getting himself under control, things like these had been happening more and more lately, growling, his transformation slipping and to make matters worse the beast was constantly pulling and poking at him.  
He had tried to get it to tell him why but it kept refusing, only telling him that _Everyone is blind when they refuse to see,_ and at those moments he could swear he heard Hisao-hanshi in it's voice.  
A short knock brought his attention back to the door and the next prospect, with an internal sigh he asked them to enter.  
Another handful of horrible designs later it was finally time to close up for the day and return to the hotel.

Once again Takeshi woke up in the middle of the night with fire in his veins, not the all consuming burn of faith but a much more mundane fire, Emelie's continued inability to sleep on her own had brought on an all new predicament.  
She had tried repeatedly to sleep without him but she suffered debilitating nightmares whenever he was not there, so until they could stop those she would be sleeping with him.  
They had tried everything they could think of, he had tried just wrapping her in his aura and while it did lessen the nightmares they were still far too intense for her to be able to sleep properly.  
They had tried having her share with Kasumi but apparently only his presence would do.  
He had even tried to enter her dreamscape to find out what the nightmares were manifesting, hoping that by helping her remember them and find the cause they might be able to find a way to stop them but the moment he entered her dreamscape they would vanish, and his presence there was almost as much stress on her as the nightmares so that wouldn't do either.  
At first he had been fine sharing a bed with her, sure she was quite an attractive woman but he could sufficiently suppress his baser urges, but lately there had been a new development, she was dreaming again.  
While he didn't know exactly what she was dreaming one thing was obvious, they were erotic dreams, and they caused her body to spike with arousal and release pheromones that wreaked havoc on his enhanced senses.  
To make matters worse he couldn't even sneak away and take care of things without her nightmares returning, he could wake her but that really wasn't a viable option.  
He found himself wanting her, badly, but he refused to allow himself to act on it.  
She was young, innocent and completely inexperienced while he was not and it would simply not be right to claim her out of nothing but lust, she deserved more than that.  
And so he once again found himself trying to shift into a slightly more comfortable position while trying to will himself down without waking her.

When the alarm finally beeped Takeshi was off to the shower in a hurry, hoping to get his _problem_ back under control before Emelie noticed just what was bothering him.  
Her grin and pointed look when he returned however told him he had not been quite fast enough.  
“Guess there is no need to worry about a lack of _hot_ water is there?”  
She teased with a snicker.  
Lately she had been picking up more and more of his mannerism and habits and he wasn't sure if he should be flattered, or run for the hills.  
He could hear her whistling away in the shower and he hurried to get dressed and order up some breakfast so they could get down to the office in time for the first appointment of the day.

Just as the days before this one brought nothing but disappointments and as lunch came about he stood at the window trying to find his balance again when a knock at the door brought him out of his musings.  
“Excuse me sir, my name is Ethan Wright, I know I don't have an appointment but I was hoping you would be willing to have a look at my design proposal anyway.”  
Takeshi ignored the young man at the door until Emelie put a hand on his arm and whispered to him that they might as well take a look before eating.  
“Fine, make if fast!”  
Takeshi snapped as he turned around and went back to the desk.

Ethan was agitated as he knocked on the frame of the open door, looking inside he spotted a man by the window that he assumed was the client and the sight did nothing to help him relax, the man was big and obviously very tense but this was his one shot at presenting his idea so he took a deep breath and introduce himself.  
He startled slightly as he realized he hadn't noticed the woman in the room until she walked up to the guy and said something to him.  
He was even more surprised when they turned around and he realized they were his age, the woman maybe 2 or 3 years younger than him and the guy looked to be about as much older.  
When the man snapped at him he hurried over to the desk and began his presentation.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Designs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi and Emelie looked at the sketches and they liked what the were seeing right away and the young man, Ethan, quickly explained that it was just a concept sketch, that for the final design he would have to see the construction site to make sure it would blend into the surroundings properly.  
_“Take, I think we have a winner here.”_  
The serpent relayed Emelie's thoughts to him as they looked closer at the sketches spread out on the desk.  
_“It does indeed look promising.”  
_ He agreed before speaking up.  
“Emelie, let the guard know we are heading out for lunch.”  
As she hurried to do as asked he turned to the young man across the desk.  
“And you, Ethan was it? You will be joining us for lunch.”  
A nervous nod was the only reply he received.

They picked a restaurant by the waterfront and ordered a wide selection of seafood, Ethan was rather wide eyed both at the amount of food and Takeshi's total lack of regard for the cost.  
“So, Ethan, how did you hear about this request?”  
Emelie was the one asking questions as Takeshi seemed to make him too nervous to answer with anything but a nervous stuttering.  
“Well, I'm an intern at my father's firm and when the firm received your request I made this suggestion but no one would even look at it so I decided to take a chance on my own. I talked dad into bringing me along as his assistant for his presentation and here I am.”  
_“Take, I really like his work.”  
“As do I, but as an intern he probably has a contract with the firm meaning that anything he comes up with is theirs.”  
“So he wouldn't get credit?”  
“Little or no credit, and the firm would take the contract, and the money. And I would rather pay him, than the firm that does not think his work to be worth noticing.”_  
While they ate Takeshi and Emelie had their own little silent conversation, deciding how to proceed.

“Ethan, we have two more days of meetings booked before we return to the island. We would like you to come with us when we return. Travel and housing arrangements will be made on our expense.”  
When Takeshi spoke up Ethan visibly jumped in his chair, that was something they would need to work on if he was to be the architect designing the buildings for the estate.  
“When you joined your father's firm as an intern did you sign the standard contract?”  
There was a few things Takeshi wanted to confirm before deciding exactly how to proceed.  
“Yes I did, so yes, my design will belong to the firm but under my name as designer.”  
This would be a bit of an issue, but it was a good sign that Ethan understood why he was asking. Takeshi would rather work directly with Ethan since he obviously had a very good understanding of just what they were trying to accomplish with the design.  
“Does your firm's design come anywhere near what we are looking for?”  
“I don't think so. I'm not sure which of the designs they went with, but none were anything like my designs.”  
“If that is the case I have an offer for you. We would prefer to work directly with you, but as long as you are bound by your intern contract that will not be possible. However, if your father as the head of the firm, states, on the record, that your idea has nothing to do with the firm they would lose any claim to it.”  
“Dad is pretty sharp, I doubt he would say anything like that, even off the records. Especially not in front of a potential client.”  
“Let me worry about that part, just make sure to bring your work with you to the meeting.”  
“Okay, I will.”

Takeshi had no issues with using his abilities to make the father deny any claims to Ethan's design.  
Unethical?  
Definitely.  
But that really didn't bother him much since no one really got hurt, the firm was well off even if they didn't hire them, and Ethan would benefit greatly if they hired him without the firm being involved.  
Legal?  
Hell no!  
But good luck proving anything.  
Besides, being trained as an assassin kind of took away any real care about what the laws and ethics of society had to say.

The afternoon meetings was yet another set of disappointments, as was the the next day, the only difference was that Takeshi was starting to feel the lack of sleep, he didn't need much sleep but he was nearing two weeks with very little sleep and it was wearing him down.  
He could feel his control slipping and there had been several incidents where Emelie had pointed out to him that he was growling, or that his transformation was slipping, luckily no one else seemed to have noticed.  
It was the last day of their stay and finally time for the Wright firm to make their presentation, so far Ethan's sketches had been the only ones they liked and his father's ideas turned out to be just as bad as the rest.  
Careful weaving of infrasound and pushes of his aura formed a web of _command_ over the older Wright and when the time was right he gave Emelie a nudge and she asked about the documents that Ethan was holding, prompting his father to state that those were just the silly doodles of a daydreamer and had nothing to do with his firm or their suggested design.  
Ethan was wide eyed as he realized just what his father had said, the design was now entirely his and the firm couldn't make any claims on it.  
Since the clients insisted that the meetings were recorded there would be no way to deny it.  
And there, in front of his father he presented his plans once again and it was a surprisingly good feeling to see the look on his father's face when the client told him he was hired.  
Takeshi told Ethan to go pack his things and be ready for them to pick him up in the afternoon when they headed back to the island.

“Why are we heading to the airport?”  
Ethan sounded confused when Takeshi turned the rental on to the road heading for the airport and Emelie answered him with a laugh.  
“Well, we really can't drive there, now can we?”  
“Eh, guess so, I just kinda assumed we would be going by boat.”  
He sounded slightly nervous.  
“Nah, we're flying. And don't worry, Take is a great pilot. Just don't tell him to _'Hit It!'_ cause he just might and that damn plane of his is fast.”  
Takeshi chuckled at her complaint, on the way to Honolulu he had taken the _scenic route_ and given her her first experience of a supersonic flight, she was a bit less than amused, though maybe he _should_ have given her a warning first.  
His chuckle was quickly rewarded with a slap on the arm and Emelie telling him once again how _Horrible_ he was.  
“Hai hai _sweetie._ ”  
He teased back.  
After returning the rental car to the agency they walked over to the private airstrip and into the hangar that Takeshi rented, Ethan's reaction once inside made both Takeshi and Emelie laugh.  
“Holy crap! That thing looks military!”  
“That would be because it is.”  
Takeshi deadpanned causing Emelie to laugh even harder.  
“Damn, how..?”  
“You will learn that sometimes it's easier to just accept things and not ask questions when it comes to Take.”  
Emelie interrupted with a laugh as she climbed inside the Blackout and hopped into the co-pilot seat and began strapping herself in while Takeshi put the luggage away before making sure Ethan got strapped in properly.  
Taking the pilot's seat he quickly got them ready for take-off and once he got clearance they were headed back to the island and a short flight later they set down at the small landing-pad.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Designs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

While Takeshi carried their bags up to the house Emelie showed Ethan down to the lagoon where a small houseboat lay moored.  
“This will be your home during your stay at the island.”  
At the nearby floating dock a few water-scooters were tied up and she pointed at them,  
“The green one is yours to use for getting to and from the boat.”  
“Ehh, I don't know how to drive one of those.”  
Ethan squirmed a bit while looking at it.  
“”Don't worry, it's easy. I'll teach you after we eat something, you can leave your bags in the shed for now.”  
She showed him where to get water and a few other things before bringing him up to the house for some food.

“Sumi-chan!”  
She waved to Kasumi who was currently manning the fire pit making the last preparations for cooking the wide selection of sea-foods, vegetables and fruits as well as a few slabs of meat that would be their dinner.  
Kasumi just shook her head at Emelie's over energetic greeting before giving a quick wave.  
“Ethan, this is Take's sister, Kasumi. Kasumi, Ethan, the architect.”  
Kasumi merely nodded before turning her attention back to the food.  
“Come on, let's have a seat.”  
Emelie pulled Ethan along to the table and pushed him into one of the chairs.  
“Are all your meals this extravagant?”  
He wondered while looking at the food wide-eyed.  
“Pretty much, you'll get used to it, besides Take puts away most of it, he can eat for five but don't ask me where the heck he puts it all cause he never gains any weight the bastard...”  
“Starting to look a bit green there, _sweetie_.”  
Ethan jumped slightly when Takeshi spoke up from behind them, once again he had failed to notice his approach.  
The only response Takeshi received was a snort as Emelie turned her back on him rather pointedly.  
He just chuckled at her and went to grab a plate of food before taking a seat.

Ethan was looking rather pale as he watched Takeshi take thin strips of meat and just dip them in various sauces before consuming them raw.  
“Like I said before, some things are easier to just accept and get used to.”  
Emelie knew Takeshi was doing it on purpose since normally there would be either meat or seafood, not both.  
“Take's eating habits would be one of those things.”  
Kasumi laughed and Emelie could see Takeshi's trademark smirk forming and the glint in his eyes told her he was just getting started.  
“You, if you are going to work for us you really need to stop being so nervous around me.”  
“I know. I don't know why, but you are seriously scary.”  
“You have good instincts. I **am** dangerous, but I'm not dangerous to you unless you become a threat to what I care about. Namely Sumi and Em.”  
What was supposed to be reassurance only made Ethan look even more terrified.  
“I promise I don't bite.”  
Takeshi flashed his fangs with a grin.  
“Unless my lovers want me to that is.”  
He gave Ethan a quite obvious inspection before nodding with a pleased hum.  
“And I'm game if you are...”  
“Take, be nice to the poof guy. Don't mind him Ethan, he's just a big flirt. If he bothers you just tell him off.”  
“But you're...”  
“Male, yes. I might as well let you know right away, I'm a polyamorous omnisexual, if that bothers you, please leave.”  
“Oh, no, it doesn't bother me, not really. Just...”  
“Don't worry. If you feel I'm crossing any lines, just tell me. But I do warn you that I'm a very tactile person, and I love to tease.”  
“Meaning?”  
“Lots of touching, hugging, occasional wandering hands, and he has a thing for kissing people.”  
Emelie's quip earned her a growl, and a kiss to silence her.

“So, Ethan, how do you like your housing arrangements?”  
Kasumi spoke up to try to distract Ethan a bit with some more mundane topics.  
“I haven't really had a look yet.”  
“Oh, why not?”  
“He can't drive the scooters, honestly, he looked kinda scared of it.”  
Emelie quipped before Ethan had a chance to reply.  
“I'm gonna teach him when we're done here.”  
The meal continued with the usual antics, teasing and occasional mock argument over some piece of food or another.  
Ethan looked absolutely bewildered but he did manage to eat a few bites at least before Emelie dragged him of to teach him how to operate the water-scooter.

As the sun began to set he was able to get himself from the dock to the boat without incident but it was still obvious he did not like the scooter.  
“Can't you just get me a waterproof bag and a small raft that I can pull while swimming?”  
“I'll have a word with Take and I'm sure he will arrange something for you. But is is a bit of a swim, you sure?”  
“I was on the swim team, this is barely a warm up.”  
“Okay, I'll talk to him, if he can't come up with something quick we will just have to head back to Honolulu for some shopping.”  
She waved a quick goodbye before taking her own smaller jet ski back to the beach.

The next morning when Ethan came up to the house to start working on the final designs he was greeted by Takeshi who tossed him a small drawstring bag, inside was a rolled up waterproof bag.  
“That should do for now, it will take a few days to make a proper raft.”  
He pointed to the piece of Wiliwili wood that he was currently working on.  
“It needs to be shaped and treated to become waterproof”  
Ethan just nodded and stuttered out a _Thank you_ before taking his equipment and began working on his sketches.  
After dinner they looked at the work so far and after a few suggestions back and forth Ethan returned to the boat to work on the changes.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Designs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

A week into his stay Ethan was handed a small raft that seemed to be a cross between a basket boat and a dugout canoe, roughly 50cm wide and a meter long and at the bow a ring connected to a thin but strong piece of rope and it was covered by a small piece of tarp.  
“You are quite the artisan.”  
Ethan expressed while feeling the smooth finish and looking at the grain of the wood.  
“Thank you. I spent some time in the middle of nowhere without much else to pass my time with.”  
Takeshi was struggling to keep from smirking at Ethan's continued nervousness around him, it was improving but he was still acting like he would run for the hills at any moment.  
Ethan could sense on an instinctual level just how dangerous Takeshi actually was, but lacked the understanding of what he was feeling which was causing some issues.

“Do you have time to go through some ideas for the designs? I was looking around the island yesterday and I had an idea but I want to check with you before I put any more work into it.”  
Takeshi nodded and called for Emelie to join them, as the estate was technically hers he made sure she was present for the entire process.  
“So, what's this new idea of yours?”  
“Well, before I begin I'd like to ask a few questions. It would be a waste of time if I explain it first and then turns out it's not feasible to start with.”  
Both Takeshi and Emelie just nodded to this.  
“I was wondering if the location for the main house is set in stone or if you would be willing to consider a different location?”  
He looked at them expectantly.  
“The only requirements are that there we can construct easy access to the coast without causing too much damage and somewhere nearby suitable to construct a landing-pad for the blackout. The ground also has to be suitable to construct a full basement as well as a secondary sub-level section for waste management and power generation.”  
“So changing locations mainly depends on what the geological survey says?”  
A short nod confirmed his conclusion.

He quickly brought up the large map of the island and spread it over the table and then took out his tablet to show them pictures of the area he was pointing at.  
“This region has some nice cliff sides, especially this area here forms an almost perfect three-quarter circle with the peak at the middle of the circumference. If the house was constructed across the center line here you would get a sheltered inner garden and plenty of room to make a larger front garden.”  
Looking at the map and the photos they had to admit it was a nice location and an excellent idea.  
“Also a pump system could be built here pulling water up the cliff to create a waterfall down the cliff here, I wasn't able to climb up to confirm but based on the topographic map it might be possible to create a small basin at the top as well to help maintain the water flow.”  
Emelie was beaming at the idea and using the serpent to transmit her thoughts she practically begged Takeshi to go with it.  
“We will have to do a more thorough survey of the area, but if it is suitable for the construction we will use this.”  
Ethan's soft yelp when Takeshi leaned in and gave him a kiss on the forehead made Emelie laugh and tease him, until Takeshi silenced her with a kiss of her own, and though shorter, hers was on the mouth.

Once again the kiss left her wanting for more.  
It wasn't that she loved him, not in a romantic way at least, though she didn't doubt she would grow to if she stayed with him, which she intended to.  
Instead it was a very physical need, Takeshi was a good looking guy and the constant closeness and teasing made her hyper aware of it.  
A stray thought made her huff and snicker as she came to think of some of the raunchy romance novels her grandmother loved, a common description used was for someone to be _oozing sex_ , an apt description for Takeshi.  
The mixture of his gentle and caring way, the obvious dangerous edge of his strength and power and the sharp control and discipline he demanded of himself made him a very desirable male.  
Adding his body to the mix made it even more so, all lean muscle with insane definition, but without being bulky like a bodybuilder, and the total confidence he moved with.

“How about we take the Blackout and go get a closer look at the peak of that ridge from above?”  
Takeshi interrupted Emelie's line of thought, and she was more than happy for the distraction.  
“Wait, as in going flying again?”  
Ethan looked up from his work with wide eyes.  
“Mhm. I have a plane, might as well use it.”  
“I don't think I'll ever get used to this...”  
“Don't worry so much Ethan, give it time.”  
Emelie patted Ethan's shoulder but her voice was teasing.

“You were right, there is plenty of room to construct a basin up here.”  
Takeshi was keeping half an eye on the screen while making sure to keep the Blackout stable without disrupting the vegetation below too much.  
“I guess we have a preliminary location then.”  
Emelie was beaming with joy as the site looked amazing.  
“Does thing thing have 3D imaging capacity?”  
For once Ethan's voice didn't hold any hesitance as he approached Takeshi with his question.  
“Of course, one of the Blackout's base functions is espionage. Do you want me to get some good images of the area?”  
“Please. It would be great help to me if I could have an accurate representation of the area to work with, then I can insert the design in full 3D.”  
“Max resolution and lots of pictures it is then. Em, would you like to give co-piloting a try?”  
Takeshi could manage the imaging on his own, but the quality would be better if someone manned the camera drones.  
“Depends, what do I have to do?”  
“For optimal imaging we need to launch the camera drones, but they are a bit much for me to manage while also piloting this thing so you would have to relay my instructions to the drones.”  
“Okay, doesn't sound too hard.”  
“It's not. It's pretty easy.”  
Takeshi instructed her on how to launch the drones and she quickly did as instructed.  
“Now, every drone has a letter for identification. And below the letter you find four numbers. I will call out a letter, and tell you the numbers in the order they are listed, just tap the number and enter the value I tell you on the keyboard and hit enter.”  
As he suspected it didn't take long for Emelie to get the hang of feeding instructions to the drones.  
“Um, Take. Shouldn't the second value on the C drone be 4550 not 3550?”  
He quickly checked his screens and noticed she was right, the end result would be the same, but her pathing was better optimized.  
“Indeed it should, nice catch. You have a pretty good sense for 3D pathing.”  
”Thanks. Compared to the numbers for the adjustments on the others this one seemed to stand out.”  
“Yeah, the numbers I gave you were off. D was always the one to man the drones, she had a magic touch with anything even remotely computer based.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Designs_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Ethan, I want you to order the necessary surveys of the area, and have them put a rush on it.”  
“That's gonna be expensive...”  
“Don't worry about that, and if they give you a hard time, mention that you are working for Kasumi Kiryu.”  
“Okay, I'll do my best.”  
“That's more like it.”  
Takeshi leaned in and gave him a peck on the forehead which earned him a huff, a good sign that he was adapting.  
“You know, this could be considered sexual harassment...”  
“It could. But all you need to do is ask me to stop and I will. Or you could simply request I ask permission first and I will respect that request.”  
“I know.”

A week later the survey was completed and Ethan had begun to turn the concept sketches into workable building plans and on Takeshi's request he had also started working on putting together a work crew for the build, Takeshi had insisted he only hire the best.  
He estimated that the final plans would be done in a month and another month after that before construction could begin.

 


	5. Heated Interlude

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Takeshi was officially losing it, the lack of sleep was really starting to get to him, the occasional nap he managed to sneak in during the days was not enough to balance up the near total absence of sleep during the nights, meditating helped but only so much.  
The scent of Emelie's arousal imbued every part of their room, even the other rooms had begun to carry her scent as the air circulated the trailer home and it was becoming increasingly hard to ignore its effects.  
To make matters worse her dreams were increasing in both frequency and intensity, releasing even more of the potent pheromones.  
He had seriously considered going to Honolulu, have Kasumi take Emelie and Ethan out for the night while he found some _assistance_ with his _problem_.  
However that blasted shadow-beast made it perfectly clear it would not tolerate that and if he tried it would end with a battle for control, and in his current state he was sure to lose if the beast really wanted to take control.  
He was running out of options, he had tried talking some sense into the beast but it refused to listen.  
He didn't want to even consider actually sleeping with Emelie, it wasn't for lack of want though, he found himself desiring her greatly, but she deserved better than some lust driven romp, especially since it would be her first.  
Making up his mind he decided that if it got any worse he would talk to her about it, maybe they could find a solution that did not include him taking her innocence.  
With an internal sigh he shifted slightly to try to find a position that didn't make his rather annoying hard-on ache as much, then started to focus on getting some more sleep.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Emelie woke up at sunrise again, all hot and bothered from the dreams she couldn't seem to remember, the constant closeness to Takeshi was really messing with her and she could tell from how tense he was lately that she wasn't the only one affected.  
Considering how sensitive his sense of smell was she was sure he could smell exactly what she was dreaming about and how it was making her body react, but somehow it just didn't bother her anymore that he was so aware of her.  
Scrambling out of bed she hurried to the bathroom to take a shower and try to relieve herself of the smoldering heat that plagued her body, but it did little to solve her problem, and seeing Takeshi working all day in nothing but a pair of cargo shorts really did **not** help.  
There was only one solution to this; She needed to get laid!  


Problem was there was not many potential partners available, sure Ethan was kind of cute, but despite being three years older than her his meek disposition made him feel like a younger sibling, someone to protect, to guide, not a potential partner.  
She had considered talking to Kasumi about helping her, but the thought of a female partner, while she was curious and Kasumi was a very good looking woman, just didn't feel like it would give her what she needed, maybe in the future.  
There was of course the workers that were working on clearing the construction site and preparing it for the build, but while most of them seemed like decent guys, and some did have some rather delicious looking bodies she didn't want just a one night stand with some stranger and most of them would be leaving in a few weeks when the land clearing was completed so that took them out of consideration.  
Then there was Takeshi, he had her rather confused at this point, he had always been a bit of a flirt, always teasing but lately there had been more to it, touches lingering longer than before, a glint of something more, but he would always turn away from her almost forcefully before she could explore just what that glint was.  
With an internal sigh she realized that it was Takeshi she wanted, badly, it wasn't that she had fallen for him or anything, this want was physical, pure lust.  
If things got worse she would simply have to bite the bullet and talk to him about it, maybe he would be willing to help her after all.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Kasumi and Ethan sat at the table watching Takeshi and Emelie hurry away to the construction site and as they disappeared into the trees Ethan turned to Kasumi.  
“Is everything okay with those two? They seem a bit tense.”  
“Oh they are fine, or well, will be once they stop being stubborn. I am kind of curious who will break first.”  
She replied with a wicked smile.  
“It's a shame they have been fighting, they make such a good couple.”  
Ethan looked and sounded so concerned that Kasumi couldn't help laughing.  
“Indeed they do, too bad neither of them seem to realize that.”  
“Wait, **what**?! Are you saying they are **not** together?”  
Ethan questioned with a rather stupefied look.  
“Exactly.”  
“But, they always seem so close, even sharing bed and everything.”  
“They have their reasons for that, but such a waste, all that time sleeping together and not a single tryst.”  
Kasumi shook her head with a theatrical sigh.  
“But seriously, it's not that they have been fighting, those two just _**really**_ need to get laid, sooner rather than later and preferably with each other before they both snap.”  
Kasumi's beast, while not as active as Takeshi's, was more prone to explanations, with the condition that she didn't let Takeshi know what it had said and it had told her that there was no way his beast would tolerate him sleeping with another female while there was one it considered _pack_ available.  
It would also react strongly against a pack female looking for a partner outside the pack and would try to _discourage_ any males from approaching her while also trying to encourage her to seek such comforts inside the pack and well, there was only one male in the pack.  
All in all, Takeshi and Emelie were pretty much doomed to either lose it big times, or end up together in bed for more than just sleeping.  
Part of her almost felt sorry for them, but the part of her that was looking forward to seeing the fallout of the current situation quickly silenced it.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Emelie sat in the shade of a tree and watched as Takeshi helped the workers clear the land, they had opted to do the work manually rather than have heavy machinery transported there:  
Using machinery would save time, but the cost would be about the same and it would do a lot more damage to the surrounding area.  
She turned to the large tablet next to her and looked over the interactive design plan before checking another tree as cleared.  
The work was moving along faster than anticipated, partially due to Takeshi taking his frustration out on the local flora that needed to be cleared before they could begin to dig for the sub-levels and foundation.  
As she watched them work her mind began to drift toward the past few weeks and the problems caused by her dreams.  
Finding out the truth about her family and the events that followed had caused her to suffer intense nightmares and the only thing that kept them at bay was Takeshi's presence, forcing her to share his bed if she wanted to be able to sleep at all, not that she minded, she had never slept so well before.  
They had tried to find a way to end the nightmares but nothing had worked.  
Then during their stay in Alaska she had begun to have other dreams, intensely erotic dreams. She still could not remember any details but the highly aroused state she found herself in when waking from them told her all she needed to know.  
As time passed they became more frequent, and more intense, past two weeks she had been dreaming every night, even going as far as multiple dreams in one night.  


Even now she could feel it, a constant state of arousal.  
It was nowhere as intense as it would be when she woke from a dream but it was there and it was tiring.  
On top of it all it seemed Takeshi wasn't the only one picking up on it as she was getting a lot of attention from the workers, something that seemed to put Takeshi even more on edge, though she had a hard time figuring out if he was just being protective or if there was more to it, he was seriously confusing her lately, one moment he was all fire only to flip to ice the next.  
She couldn't help thinking about some of the recent incidents and on that train of thought her mind skipped over to how he would hold her at night, she would use his arm as a pillow and as she curled into him he would place his other arm around her, carefully, gently, as if she was a fragile doll that could break at the slightest touch.  
But her mind was conjuring up ideas of how it would feel to truly be held, tightly, possessively, passionately, to truly be wrapped in that strength.  
As soon as her mind skipped to that track she could feel the heat build in her belly and seconds later she could feel Takeshi's gaze shift to her and it set her on edge in a way it never had before.  


Takeshi was trying to focus on the work, hoping that some good old physical labor would take the edge off but it really wasn't doing as much good as he had hoped.  
To make matters worse the other workers seemed to begin to pick up on Emelie's aroused state and that made the beast highly agitated, roaring at him to keep the _outsiders_ away from the _pack female,_ when Emelie's scent suddenly spiked along with her aura he nearly lost it.  
The beast demanded he go to her, take her somewhere private and bring her, and himself, relief.  
And he found that he very much wanted to just give in to its demands and it took everything he had to resist it.  
To make things even harder the beast insisted on its own version of daydreaming, conjuring up vivid images and echoes of sensations that showed in great detail just what it wanted to do with Emelie.  
Checking his watch he decided to take a break, get a quick shower and have some food.  


“Em, _sweetie._ How about we go get some lunch?”  
“Sure!”  
The beast had made perfectly clear it would not allow him to leave without her.  
As they walked toward their temporary home he noticed that Emelie was fidgeting slightly, beginning to say something and then changing her mind, her aura radiated agitation and beneath the surface he could feel her fatigue, for a moment he also detected something dark, but it slipped away like smoke when he tried to have a closer look.  
This worried him, he would have to do a much more thorough investigation of her aura, but to do that she needed to be relaxed and it would take a degree of privacy that was not available at their current home.  
He would simply have to bring her somewhere a bit more isolated and have a proper look at her aura to see what that darkness was.  
Tomorrow was Friday and then the workers would leave for the weekend so there would be no need to keep an eye on them.  
He decided he would try to take her on a short trip over the weekend, maybe take a boat and visit one of the small atolls that littered the area, that should give him enough time to find out just what that smoky darkness was.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Another restless night and they found themselves at the construction site for the last shift for the week, it was a comfortable day and work was moving along at a high pace when Takeshi suddenly picked up on a spike of pure terror coming from Emelie and before anyone had even seen him move he was at her side, to his relief she had _only_ fallen asleep and was suffering her usual nightmares.  
“Em _sweetie_ , wake up. Ssh, it's okay, it's just a dream.”  
He gently shook her and she darted up with a strangled cry before throwing herself around his neck.  
“Take...”  
She was obviously exhausted and had fallen asleep in the shade of the trees.  
“Let's go Em, you need sleep before you get seriously sick.”  
She merely gave a weak nod and curled into him when he picked her up and started walking toward the trailer home.  
“She's not feeling too good so I'm cutting the day now. You'll get full pay for the day, but I want you off the island within the hour.”  
“Okay boss!”  
“Thanks!”  
“Get well Miss Eriksson!”  
The workers were more than happy to head home and get full pay for half a day's work and Takeshi had barely left the work area when he noticed that Emelie had fallen asleep.  
Walking toward toward the house he tapped into the bond with Kasumi and asked her to prepare a weekend bag for Emelie, his own was packed and ready sitting in the Blackout as always, his stint with the GCTI had taught him a few useful habits.  


After picking up their bags and using the Blackout's computers to check the upcoming weather he headed down to the lagoon and the boats moored there and headed for the catamaran, while the lack of cabin space made it unsuitable for longer cruises it would be plenty enough for a couple of nights and was easily handled by him alone and its shallow draft would allow them to enter most of the atolls with ease.  
Carefully shifting her weight without waking her he focused on his shape-shift, further altering his legs to allow for greater jumping power before leaping over to the deck of the catamaran.  
After some shifting around trying to find a position where he could navigate the boat while still holding on to her he gave up and carefully nudged her awake.  
“Sweetie, think you can stay awake for a few minutes while I take us out of the lagoon?”  
“Mhm...”  
It was obvious she wasn't aware of what was going on, but she did manage to get herself upright, hopefully long enough for them to reach open waters where Takeshi could set the autopilot and allow it to take them to the atoll chain.  
While the state of the art system had no problems navigating open waters or well chartered canals it would occasionally lock up on the shallow reefs of the lagoon surrounding the island so he preferred to take it out manually.  
“Huh, why are we on the boat, where are we going?”  
“We are going on a little weekend vacation.”  
“Hmm, where to?”  
“I was thinking we find a nice secluded atoll somewhere and anchor there and spend the weekend just being lazy.”  
“Sounds fine as long as I get to sleep all day.”  
Takeshi just hummed in response as he took them out on open water and engaged the autopilot.  
Once it was set Emelie quickly crawled back into his lap and promptly fell asleep.  
Takeshi just shook his head with a smile, picked her up and moved to the couch seat where he set down and tried to get comfortable, he wouldn't sleep but at least he could get some rest now that the beast seemed to have settled down a bit.  


Half an hour later he was brought out of his meditative state as Emelie began to stir and her scent once again spiked and he found himself fighting the influence of her pheromones, he could swear that they were getting more potent for every day.  
The beast was stirring and refused to back down until he snarled at it that he would not betray her trust by doing such things without her consent and most definitely not while she was sleeping.  
It was with an internal sigh he realized that his determination to not be the one to claim her innocence was quickly eroding away under the onslaught of her pheromones, never before had any female had such an effect on him.  
A groan and some rather colorful use of the Swedish language told him that Emelie was once again awake and moments later she began to shift around before sitting up.  
“Ugh, so much for sleeping all day.”  
After shifting around she leaned back into his chest and sat in silence looking at the islands as they passed by them.  
“This lack of sleep, it getting dangerous, isn't it?”  
The sudden question had him slightly of balance and he remained silent for a moment before answering her, she deserved the truth.  
“It is, you are starting to show clear signs of sleep deprivation and there is an increasing fatigue in your aura. Maybe a week or so more before you begin to become sick from it, and in a month or so it may well prove fatal.”  
“And I guess sleeping pills and such won't help?”  


Takeshi had thought about possible solutions and he doubted pills would help, they needed to get to the root of the cause of her dreams, if all else failed he would talk to her about giving her the blessing to make her better able to deal with the effects.  
“It may help extend how long you can last, but the real problem is your dreams, unless we can find a way to manage those it won't do any good, while your body might get some of the rest it needs you spirit and soul will continue to grow more fatigued and that will eventually kill you.”  
Another silence followed as she digested what he had said, there was no surprise in her aura and Takeshi guessed she had suspected it and he had just confirmed it.  
“You know, I have been thinking a bit on all of this and...”  
Her voice trailed of and he picked up on her embarrassment both in her scent and her aura.  
“And...”  
Another silence.  
“...”  
“Em _sweetie_ , it's okay. Just speak your mind.”  
“When it was just the nightmares I was doing okay, at least as long as you were there but these new dreams, they just keep getting worse. And I was thinking...”  


She trailed of again and this time Takeshi just waited for her to gather her nerve, he had his suspicions what she was getting at and she was probably right.  
“Maybe these new dreams are caused by always sleeping with you...”  
She suddenly blushed vividly, he could feel the heat and see the tips of her ears turn bright red and he couldn't resist a slight chuckle which made her groan and call him horrible again.  
“Between that, your constant teasing and well, being a living human being. Could it just be that I'm just sexually frustrated, my body's way of trying to tell me I need to get laid?”  
If possible her blush became even more vivid as she blurted out the last part.  
“It could very well be the case. Even if it is not, _getting laid_ as you put it might still help reduce the dreams to a level where you can get enough sleep to stave of any serious issues.”  
Taking a moment to steel himself he continued.  
“You say you have been thinking about this, have you thought as far as to the fact it takes two to tango?”  
He almost chuckled again as her embarrassment began to shift into mortification but as fast as it had it began to shift into determination and a calm settled into her aura.  
“I have, quite a lot actually.”  
She took a few steadying breaths as she bit the proverbial bullet.  
“Ethan while cute is like a baby brother, there are a few of the workers that are pretty good looking, but I don't know them, I don't trust them, and I would prefer more than just a one night stand, even if it might not be a romantic relationship.”  
As she turned slightly toward him he knew what she was about to say and he knew it would further break his resolve.  
“Take, I want it to be you...”  
Then, after a few moments of silence a barely audible whisper.  
“I need it to be you...”  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


With a sigh Takeshi pulled her closer and placed his chin on top of her head.  
“Are you really sure you want to go there?”  
He asked her but did not wait for her to answer before moving on.  
“You deserve better, you deserve love, not lust.”  
Another deep sigh filled his senses with her scent.  
“I am a killer, most would consider me a monster, a demon beast lives within me and if we do this it **will** get involved.”  
With another deep breath he pressed on.  
“Even a moment's loss of focus and I could hurt you seriously, and no matter what happens there will be pain, quite a bit of it I am afraid.”  
She was so tiny, and he was anything but, there would be no way to avoid pain, at least at first and there was a very real risk that she may never be able to accommodate him without discomfort.  
He could feel a slight shift in her aura, her determination wavering for a moment.  
“Not to mention that despite my looks I am still a lot older, old enough to have been with your mother...”  
He could tell from the shifting of her aura that she was considering what he had said, he wasn't sure how long it was before her aura finally settled and she placed her hand over his heart as she spoke.  
“I don't care that you are a killer, I never did. I have seen **you** , but never seen this monster you speak of, I know you would never hurt me if you could avoid it, even that beast of yours while terrifying I still know it won't intentionally harm me, I don't know why or how, but I trust you, all of you.”  


As she spoke he could feel the beast stir and radiate a smug pride as well as a very clear _Told you so_ and part of him felt a great relief at her words.  
“And who cares if you are older?”  
She questioned him before pushing on.  
“Besides, according to The Mother you're pretty much gonna live forever, think you might have to get used to the idea of sleeping with younger women.”  
At that he couldn't resist a chuckle that grew into a laugh.  
_“If that truly is what you want.”_  
Emelie glared at him for a moment as she could feel the geas of his voice and aura take hold, making it impossible for her to speak anything but the truth.  
“It is.”  
While he had not intended to use _command,_ it had been the beasts influence that did it, he found it to be a relief as the undeniable truth of her statement washed through him and it took every ounce of self control not to give in and bed her on the spot.  
_“You wish is my command.”  
_ Somehow the serpent managed to relay the teasing tone of his thoughts to Emelie which earned him a slap on the arm and a hissed complaint about him being as horrible as ever.  
“Let's find somewhere to anchor and see where this all will take us. We have all weekend so no need to rush things.”  
She just nodded in response as they moved up to the steering console and Takeshi brought up the map data for the area and after tapping in to Daniel's gift he quickly gained access to normally restricted information before turning the screen over to Emelie to allow her to choose their destination.  
The atoll she picked was large enough for its lagoon to comfortably hold the boat and allow for a rich selection of fish and other seafood as well as decent selection of edible plants for easy meals without having to rely on the supplies stowed in the pantry but still small enough to ensure they were alone.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


As they approached the shallow reefs Takeshi deactivated the auto-pilot before navigating into the lagoon while keeping a careful eye out for any reefs that may be close enough t the surface to cause an issue.  
Once they were securely anchored and the solar-panel float was fully deployed they prepared to spend some time diving along the reefs and down the lagoon both for its beauty, and to find food.  
The boat was stocked with supplied enough to last them a few weeks, but Takeshi preferred to not use more than necessary of the stores, if possible only use the spices and grains, he could do on a pure meat or fish diet, but Emelie needed a bit more variation.  


“Come here sweetie, let me braid your hair for you.”  
He knew from experience that a braid was much more practical than a plain ponytail when diving, the loose hair of a ponytail tended to end up getting in the way, or getting tangled in pretty much everything.  
She quickly scooted over and handed him her brush which, as always, had a few hair ties wrapped around the handle.  
He began to slowly brush her hair, allowing his fingers to brush gently down her back as he did and the way she shivered and arched into the touch made him want to find out what other reactions he could tease from her.  
Moving her hair to the side he leaned in and brushed his lips against her neck before trailing kisses toward her shoulder and as he did she tilted her head away, baring the sensitive throat and neck to him, which sent the beast into a frenzy.  
“Take...”  
Before she had a chance to say anything more he turned her head and kissed her softly, testing her reactions, and the gasp, and needy moan, that answered him drove him to deepen the kiss.  
It wasn't the first time he had kissed her, far from, but this time it was different.  
Previous kisses had been more teasing, and neutral somehow, simply a result of his inability to relay his emotions in any other way, and her accepting that and allowing him to speak without speaking when he could not find his words.  
This time however it was carnal, and it carried a deep hunger, and a desperate need that left them both dazed and gasping for air as Emelie broke the kiss of to breathe.  
When Takeshi leaned in to claim her lips again she stopped him by placing a finger over his lips.  
“Weren't you supposed to be braiding my hair?”  
“Perhaps, but I much rather just kiss you.”  
“And here I thought you said we should take it slow...”  
“I never said should, I said could.”  
Leaning in again to try to kiss her yielded the same result, but this time with an added scolding.  
The teasing hint in her voice made him growl softly at her and nip at her finger, but he did as she asked.  


With her hair finally braided he helped her into the wet-suit and made sure all the gear was in order, and took the backup dive-computer so that he could help her monitor the system as she was still learning how to use the rebreather, and soon they were swimming along the reef.  
Though,she did complain how unfair it was that she had to stay strapped into the breathing unit while he swam around without it, the Blessing allowing him to literary grow gills.  
While the state of the art military type breather was a lot less bulky than any civilian gear out there she still complained about it getting in the way.  
Takeshi could understand her, he had never liked the damned things, when possible he would rather hold his breath than use one, and now when he could breathe like a fish he had a new fondness for exploring the underwater world around them.  


“ _This place is so beautiful...”  
“Indeed, but it pales before you.”  
_ The intentionally corny comment instantly had Emelie's aura bubbling with amusement, and the familiar relayed laughter to him along with her words. _  
“Now that's sappy even for you.”  
“Perhaps, but it's still true.”  
_ He swam up to her and kissed the diving mask which made her glare at him and wipe it with her hand.  
Since the mask covered her entire face there really wasn't anywhere else to kiss her.  


Turning towards the deeper inner section of the atoll he reached for the cool well of power within and shed his human form in favor of borrowing the form of the Spotted Eagle Rays gliding nearby, next to the small juveniles he looked even larger than he was and as he swam over to Emelie she looked rather wide eyed before sensing it was him, carefully gliding under her he told her to grab on.  
Feeling that she had a good grip he began to go deeper into the lagoon and soon the group of young rays followed them down to the bottom slowly skimming along the sand.  
He took every opportunity to tease her, gentle touches, seeking out her sensitive spots, weaving his aura into hers he could read her reactions to the slightest stimuli.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Thanks, that was fun!”  
The eager, happy, kiss made him promise himself to take her diving more regularly.  
“I'm glad you enjoyed it.”  
He waited for her to break of the kiss on her own before nudging her toward the stern to prepare some food.  


By the time they had eaten the the sun began to set, painted the sky in fire but neither of them really paid much attention to it as they set out to explore an entirely different fire.  
“Take?”  
Emelie's voice was hesitant, and tainted by embarrassment.  
“What is it sweetie?”  
“Will you teach me?”  
He had a pretty good idea what she wanted but he asked her anyway.  
“Teach you what?”  
“Teach me what you like...”  
Her voice trailed off again and he chuckled softly at her.  
“Of course I will, how else are you to know? You don't have my senses to let you accurately read my reactions. And I fully expect you to teach me as well, tell me what you want. Especially if there is something you are missing, something you want me to do that I haven't thought of.”  
The way she looked up at him made it perfectly clear there was something she wanted that he had failed to figure out.  
“What is is sweetie, please, tell me.”  
“I need you to hold me.”  
“But I...”  
He was about to object that he was in fact holding her when a surge of frustration ran through her and she interrupted him with a slightly raised voice.  
“No, you're not! You're gently cradling me, not holding me!”  
She suddenly darted up, away from his arms and as she did he became cold with dread as he was almost overwhelmed by the feeling that she was leaving and not returning, and without thinking he reached out after her with a pitiful whine.  
“No...!”  
When she turned around and smiled softly, knowingly, at him he realized that the feeling that she was leaving felt wrong somehow.  
“Did you just make your familiar tell me you were leaving and not coming back?”  
“I did.”  
“Please, please promise me you will never do that again... Never make me feel that agony again...”  
He was still reaching out toward her, begging her to come back.  
“On one condition.”  
“Please! Anything...”  
She slowly stepped closer, but not close enough for him to touch her.  
“When you hold me, you remember that feeling. And you hold me...”  
“I will...”  
She stepped back into his reach and he instantly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against his chest.  
“How could I not..? How could I ever forget that feeling..?”  
He was genuinely shaken by how intense the pain had been, and in that moment he realized that if they continued the way they had, he would grow to love her more than anything and with that feeling in mind he held her tightly, not letting up until he heard a soft whimper of pain.  
“Sorry...”  
He immediately released his grip, but that earned him an annoyed grunt.  
“Take, I will tell you if you're holding me too tight, please, don't let go.”  
“But I hurt you...”  
“There is such a thing as a good pain.”  
“Indeed there is...”  
He agreed with a hum and pulled her closer again, testing to see just how tight she would let him hold her, he was well aware of the fact that the line between pain and pleasure could be a thin one, but that was something slightly different, and not something to rush into.  
“Okay, a bit less, need to breathe here...”  
There was more humor than pain in the complaints and he shifted his hold slightly to make it easier for her to breathe without him needing to lessen his grip and that earned him a pleased sigh.  


The fire of the sunset had long since been replaced by the brilliance of the Milky Way when Emelie started squirming and he released his hold so she could lean back and look at him.  
“I do believe you promised me a few lessons...”  
“Indeed I did.”  
He reached out and took her hands and placed them against his chest.  
“Now, I am a fairly easy male to please, I enjoy most contact. And I very much enjoy seeing my partner's pleasure.”  
“So don't hold back?”  
“Never hold back, please. Let me see your feelings, feel them, feel you.”  
He mirrored the position of her hands with his own and began to gently trace a pattern over her chest and arm and she instantly grasped what he was doing, and traced the same pattern on his body, though her touch even softer which made him shiver with pleasure.  
“Mmm, yes... Just like that.”  
He was struggling not to just close his eyes and enjoy her touch, he could feel her emotions in her aura, but he wanted to watch them play across her face as she explored him.  


She quickly grew bolder and began to move beyond the pattern his hands drew on her skin and when she started tracing his tattoo he gasped at the sensation, he had always enjoyed it when his lovers played with it.  
“Oh, you liked that?”  
“Mhm.. I like it a lot. My tattoo is very sensitive to that kind of touch.”  
When she leaned in and licked the edge of the tattoo his mind went blank for a moment and he sucked in a hissing breath before releasing it as a pleased growl.  
Unfortunately she misinterpreted the sound and pulled away sharply.  
“Sorry...”  
“No, no. You didn't do anything wrong, quite the opposite. That was a good growl.”  
Within his mind he could feel the beast radiating shame as it crawled into a corner of its cage, voicing an apologetic whine, begging her forgiveness for having scared her.  
“Do you think you can handle me letting the beast rise for a bit? It's quite upset about having scared you and isn't listening to reason.”  
“Of course, it may be separate in a sense, but it's still a part of what makes you, you.”  
“Thank you _sweetie_.”  
Reaching within he carefully allowed the beast to rise slightly, warning it to be very careful with her.  
“Ssh, I know you didn't mean to scare me, it was just a silly misunderstanding.”  


The happy yip from the beast made Takeshi want to roll his eyes, especially since they were currently sharing control, which meant he felt a strong urge to alter his shift so he could wag his tail at her.  
“Take, what wrong? You seem tense...”  
“Sharing control can be a bit bothersome at times, it has very little self discipline, leaving me to be the controlling factor.”  
“So it's all impulse and no control?”  
“Pretty much. It's very adamant about being careful not to hurt you though.”  
“I know, I trust both of you.”  
Her declaration of trust made the beast voice another happy yip, and this time Takeshi did roll his eyes at the antics and the way it made him act.  
“It does however have some troublesome urges, like wanting a tail to wag at you, and licking your face in apology.”  
“Well you better give it a tail to wag then, because there will be **no** face-licking!”  
The way she glared at them made the beast whine, and Takeshi had a strong urge to do the same, but he settled for letting his shift slip a bit more, giving in to the beast's urge to wag its tail.  
“Aww, now that's adorable.”  
The combined cooing and laughing caused some rather intense urges from the beast, causing Takeshi to fight the urge to roll on his back and beg for a belly rub, but before he could act on the rather silly urge she leaned in and gave him a kiss.  
The beast however tried to pull a fast one and gave her lips a quick lick which earned them a an annoyed yelp, and a flick on the nose.  
“Bad dog!”  
Moments later Emelie broke down laughing at the utterly bewildered look on Takeshi's face, and the beast had quickly retreated into its cage at the prospect of being scolded.  
“Ow, did you have to punish me too?”  
He rubbed his nose carefully, she had a wicked flick.  
“Mhm. You were supposed to be the one keeping the rascal under control to keep it from doing stuff like that.”  
“But I much rather try to convince you to surrender that no licking policy.”  
“Oh really?”  
“Of course. You saw for yourself just how much I enjoyed it when you used your tongue at my tattoo.”  
“I did say face-licking, not licking in general.”  
There was an enticing mix of shy innocence and teasing laughter in her voice that made Takeshi pounce at her and paint a trail from her bellybutton up toward her breasts with his tongue, but he had barely started when she broke down laughing.  
“Oh, does it tickle that bad?”  
She kept laughing, and gasping for air between bouts so it took a while for her to answer.  
“No, but you look absolutely ridiculous with your tail wagging away behind you!”  
A quick check confirmed he had indeed forgotten to alter his form to remove the tail, and it was wagging in a rather energetic manner and he quickly got rid of it before lowering his head back down and tasting Emelie's skin.  
A positive effect of the beast's interference and antics was that she seemed to be a lot more relaxed now.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heated Interlude_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Em, please, I need more...”  
Her teasing licks were driving him insane.  
“More how?”  
“Teeth, use your teeth, please.”  
She nodded softly and began to brush her teeth against his skin and the sensation, and the promise hidden beneath the action, made him buck slightly against her.  
“You want me to bite?”  
“Yes!”  
The first bite was tentative and gentle, but it made pleasure surge through his body like electricity.  
“More...”  
When she gently took a nipple between her teeth and looked up at him he nodded vigorously and the sensation when she bit down, harder this time, made him arch into her and nearly come undone.  
“I like quite a bit of pain with my pleasure, to the point of drawing blood, but only if you feel comfortable with it.”  
For a moment she just used her tongue to soothe the skin, then she bit down, hard this time, and he fell into the abyss and unraveled beneath her.  
“Oh...”  
Her surprise was quite obvious, but it held a hint of disappointment as well.  
“Don't worry sweetie, I will be ready again in a few minutes. How about you let me try to even the score until then?”  


She blushed a brilliant red, but nodded and allowed him to turn them over, placing her beneath him again.  
Pausing for a moment to just look at her he found the view to be quite enchanting, her skin was slightly flushed, her breathing was shallow and rapid, and her eyes somewhat unfocused, but her aura was burning with anticipation.  
“Is it really that good?”  
“Hmm? Is what?”  
“Mixing pain and pleasure, is it really that good?”  
The time he had taken to watch her had given her the time to clear her mind a bit, and think about what had just happened.  
“Well, it is for me. But it may not be for you. Though, I do believe you would enjoy a little bit of pain at least.”  
The way she had begged him to hold her tighter, and how she had demanded not to let go even if he caused her some pain led him to believe she would react positively to at least a little bit of pain.  
He had a feeling she would enjoy a bit of roughness, and maybe a bit of biting, part of him hoped that she would be like her mother in that regard.  
“I... I want to...”  
“You want me to help you find out if you like it?”  
“Please...”  


Using his hands and mouth Takeshi started to drive her back toward the edge, paying extra attention to the sensitive spot he had found behind her ear, licking, kissing and sucking at it, and it didn't take long before she was squirming beneath him, teetering on the brink of the abyss.  
Mindful of the sharpness of his fangs he bit down on the spot, and she instantly came crashing down with a strangled cry and a few breathless curses in Swedish that made him smile and nip her again which triggered another string of cursing.  
“Hmm, would it be safe to say you enjoy a bit of biting?”  
“Mhm... Definitely...!”  


They continued to explore each other, tease each other to the brink, and over.  
As any modern woman Emelie knew fairly well what to expect but she had never imagined anything like this, her nerves tingled as if there was lightning dancing over her skin, fire flowing through her veins.  
She suspected it was not what would be considered normal.  
Takeshi's enhanced senses and his ability to read her aura allowed him to gauge her responses with near perfect accuracy, something he made good use of to ensure she would receive a most pleasurable experience.  
He was struggling though, her scent was driving him to the edge of control and the beasts constant presence almost made him lose it several times before he managed to get it to back of a bit by explaining that they needed to be careful with her.  
She may enjoy a bit of pain, but they had to make sure not cause the wrong kind of pain, or do anything that would scare her or cause injury and to ensure that he would need all the control he was capable of, with that it reluctantly backed off a bit, but it still lingered in his senses, just without pushing.  


“Take! Please! I...”  
The desperate note in her voice pulled on his focus and her aura and scent told him she had reached a point where teasing just wouldn't cut it anymore, she needed more and she was as ready as she would ever be.  
“I'm sorry...”  
Begging her forgiveness for the pain he knew he was about to cause her he carefully seated himself within her, mindful not to cause her any undue pain, but much to his surprise there was very little pain despite the vast size difference between them, instead there was eagerness, and a desperate need.  
Moving carefully at first he took all that she offered while giving all that she asked for, and there under the stars she truly became a woman under his touch.

 


	6. A Demon Within

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

When Takeshi woke up he realized it was nearly noon, he could not recall the last time he had slept that late and still he was feeling not just tired but completely drained.  
The second thing he realized was that Emelie's scent had drastically changed during the night, he was prepared for a slight change, as was normal in a female once she became sexually active, but that change was usually subtle where the scent of innocence was replaced by the subtle spice of maturity.  
Emelie's scent however had changed so completely that every last trace of the warm summer flowers and sea breeze that had been her was gone, in its place there was now water lilies and blue lotus accented by the crisp scent just before snowfall, it was a cold, relaxing scent and he found that he liked it, a lot.  
The fact that her scent was deeply saturated with his own only made his reaction to it stronger and he could feel the beast stir slightly and the feeling he got from is was strong possessiveness.  
Checking on her aura he found that almost all traces of fatigue was gone from it so he choose to wake her up so they could find something to eat.  
There was more he wanted to talk to her about now that her energies seemed to be stable once again.

“Em, _sweetie_. Time to wake up.”  
He whispered in her ear before kissing the sensitive spot just behind it and he was instantly rewarded with a dazzling peppermint that he quickly realized was the scent of her arousal, not only had her base scent changed, but the pheromones that indicated her emotions had changed as well, something that should not be possible.  
“Mmm... G'morning.”  
She practically chirped as she rolled out from underneath him.  
“Well, someone's feeling energetic today.”  
He called after her as she disappeared below deck for her morning routine.  
Once breakfast, or rather brunch, was ready Takeshi decided to bring up what had been bothering him ever since they left their island, the shadow he had sensed in her aura.

“ _Sweetie_ , when we have eaten there is something I would like to ask your permission to do. Back on the island when I checked your aura there was a darkness in it, it might just have been fatigue, but when I tried to take a closer look it vanished like smoke. I would like to have a closer look to be sure just what it was and if it is gone now.”  
She nodded silently as he continued.  
“To do this I would have to look into the very core of your aura, your soul and this is something very intimate.”  
“And last night wasn't?”  
Her voice teasing and he once again picked up the spicy mint.  
“By comparison, not really.”  
She looked rather wide eyed as he began to explain.

“Normally when I check someone's aura I just brush my own along the surface, barely touching it. Even the deeper scans I have done on you so far only interacts with the outermost layer.”  
As he spoke he called up his aura and touched hers to make it visible to her and showed her before allowing it to recede.  
“For this however I will have to push into the very core of your aura, this can be very unpleasant and it will give me access to your deepest secrets and memories, even ones you might not even be aware of yourself.”  
“I trust you, if you think it's the only way to be sure then go ahead.”  
He had suspected that would be her answer so once their meal was done he asked her to join him at the bow where they laid out pillows to allow for comfortable seating.

Sitting down facing each other Takeshi guided her into a deep state of meditation that would help protect her mind as he invaded her aura searching for the darkness.  
Carefully wrapping her aura within his own he began to search it, layer by layer not allowing anything to slip past his examination.  
Several times he came across wisps of the darkness but they would vanish as his energies came closer but as he dug deeper they became more frequent, it seemed almost as if they were trying to hide deeper inside her aura.  
Finally he found himself just at the edge of her innermost core and with a whispered apology he prepared to push inside, but the moment he breached it he was violently expelled from her aura as the darkness exploded out from it.  
The smoke like aura expanded nearly 10 meters in every direction before it began to collapse in on itself and as it did it began to solidify around her and before his eyes her aura formed an armor of sorts around her, pulsing with a deep purple glow.  
Moments later it began to expand again, but this time it began to form distinct shapes, two pairs of horns curling almost like a helmet formed from her head, large bat-like wings sprouted from her back, claws formed on her hands and wings and finally a long slender tail with a spearhead tip formed behind her.  
As the tail reached for him and began to curl around his arm she suddenly fell forward and he quickly caught her and after a bit of struggling with the semi-corporeal wings he managed to lay her down on the pillows.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Once she seemed comfortable he turned to the beast within that had radiated curiosity and wonder ever since her aura had broken free.  
_“What the hell just happened?”  
_ He questioned the beast as it seemed to know.  
_**“She is Succubus, and a strong one at that. That explains a lot.”  
**__“She's a half demon?”_  
_**“Not with this aura, this is the aura of a pure-blood demon.”**_  
_“How can that be? I know for sure that Maria was entirely human, the Ryujin would have been able to tell if she wasn't.”_  
_**“There is one way that is possible, that is if she is the offspring of a Lilim, 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **generation or maybe even 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **generation.”  
**__“And that means just what?”_  
Takeshi was getting frustrated as the beasts words were making very little sense to him.  
_**“It means that whoever her father is he is a demon, an Incubus and that either his mother or grandmother is Lilith, progenitor to all things demonic.”**_  
As it spoke its energy seeped through Takeshi's aura and the aura covering Emelie's body seemed to rise in greeting.  
_**“When a demon begets offspring with a human it normally becomes a half-blood, how prominent the demonic traits becomes depends both on power and gender of the demonic parent.”**_  
It seemed to sense that Takeshi had very little knowledge of such matters and for once it chose to explain properly.

“ _ **A child from a human mother and demon father usually ends up with more human traits than demon ones because a human female is unable to properly nourish a demon fetus. When the mother is demon however the child tends to become mostly demonic because that is the only way it can survive exposure to its demonic mother.”**_  
Takeshi nodded his understanding.  
_**“But with Lilim it's different. If born from a Lilim mother the child is either entirely demon, or stillborn, as a human fetus cannot survive being exposed to the power of a Lilim. When the mother is human the child is always born human, but when it reaches the age of maturity it will either remain human or begin to manifest demon traits.”**_  
_“The nightmares and the erotic dreams, those are both traits of a Succubi, aren't they?_  
_**“They are, the same goes for her fatigue, a Succubi needs to feed regularly, either on sexual energy, or life force. As the power within her began to wake the need to feed woke with it. It was a good thing she chose you though, a lesser male would probably have been killed by her hunger.”  
**__“Killed? How?”_  
_**“If the partner of a Succubi is unable to release enough sexual energy, simply put unable to satisfy her, her hunger will turn to their life force instead, usually draining them completely and leaving nothing but a withered husk.**_ _**Had that happened it would probably have killed her as well, the energy needed for the transformation would have been taken from her human life-force, killing her before the demon one could fully awaken.”  
**_ It was a lot to take in and Takeshi sat in silence for a while before asking one thing that was on his mind.

“ _Wouldn't that mean that most of the demonic offspring dies during the transformation?”  
__**“Normally when a Lilim Incubus fathers such a child it would be watched over and if the child begins to manifest demonic properties, a guide would be chosen to bring them through the transformation, a demon able to easily feed them the energy needed.”  
**__“So where is her father then? Should he not have been here to help her?”  
_ There was anger brewing within him, that someone would abandon a child when there was a risk it would need special guidance not to perish. _  
__**“Lilim are highly protective of their offspring as they are much less prolific than other demons. The only reasons I can think of for him not be be here is that he is either dead or trapped in one of the demon-realms, unable to make his way here. Though even trapped he would try to keep an eye on his offspring and see to have a guide ready for her just in case.”  
**_ Moments later it added as an afterthought. _ **  
“Though, there is a third possibility, maybe you were chosen to be her guide, you are strong and already close to her, and our instincts would rebel against an outsider coming close to a pack female in such a way.”  
**__“Wouldn't that mean that some has been watching us, without any of us noticing?”  
__**“There are many ways to look between the worlds, especially for the Lilim.”  
**_ It would seem he had run out of explanations for now.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi watched as Emelie began to wake and as she did her aura shifted, fading until it was only visible to his enhanced senses and it lost it solidity, once again becoming just energy, but even in its non-corporeal state it would bend and adapt to the environment.  
The wings folded tightly against her back and the tail coiled several times around her waist before the tip reached out and wrapped around his wrist again, to anyone not able to see auras she once again looked like a regular human woman.  
He did notice a few physical changes, her hair was longer and the color was more vibrant, more extreme, gone was the platinum blonde, instead there was an amazing silvery white and her eyes now sported slitted pupils and no longer greenish blue but a vivid emerald green.  
Her nails longer and looked very sharp, the shifting colors brought anodized titanium to mind.

“Welcome back _sweetie_ , how are you feeling?”  
She blinked at him a few times before bouncing up with a smile.  
“I feel great! Did you find whatever you were looking for?”  
“In a sense, I found it but it was something entirely different than I believed it would be.”  
She spun around and nearly pounced on him  
“Oh, good or bad different?”

Before he had a chance to answer her he felt a yank on his arm and a moment later she yelped and fell into his lap, apparently her tail was still able to affect her despite having reverted to a non-corporeal form, and her spinning while her tail still held onto his wrist had caused her to get further tangled in it and fall.  
He hissed in pain when she grabbed his shoulders to try to regain her balance, her new nails were every bit as sharp as they looked, and they were cutting deep slashes into him.  
Moments later he could feel the burn of some sort of toxin racing through his body and based on his reactions it was some sort of lust inducing substance, thankfully his altered physiology allowed his body to rapidly counteract the foreign substance before it could push him over the edge.

“Relax _sweetie_ , your nails kinda hurt when you dig them in like that.”  
She instantly released him and when she spotted the blood from the deep slashes he could feel the mortification shift through her aura and was able to pick up the scent associated with it, it would take a bit of work to learn to decipher her new scents.  
“Oh no! I'm so sorry...”  
She was frantically trying to remove his shirt to get a closer look.  
“It's okay, it will heal in a few minutes. See, it's barely bleeding anymore.”  
She froze when she accidentally cut him again and finally noticed her new nails.  
“What happened to me?”  
She stared numbly at her at her now clawed hands and Takeshi took a deep breath before enveloping her in his aura once again.

“I'm not entirely sure how, but it seems that your father was not entirely human. Or, well, not human at all actually. From what happened when I searched your aura and what the beast has told me your father was a demon, an Incubus.”  
“Incubus, as in the male version of the demons of Seduction, Lust and Nightmares?”  
She interrupted him with wide eyes.  
“Yeah, pretty much.”  
She cursed to herself in Swedish and he was able to pick up on her asking what she had done to deserve this.  
“It seems that your dreams were connected to your becoming a Succubus. From what the beast has explained your father was a special kind of Incubus, if these have a child with a human woman the child is born human, but when they come of age some will start to display demon traits and those that do will either become demons or die during the transformation.”  
“Great, mom screws a demon and now **I'm** screwed. I can't even touch something without cutting it to ribbons. And if I recall my mythology classes correct there's a major risk that I'll seriously hurt or even kill anyone I have sex with, and sex is like food, something I won't be able to survive without...”  
She flopped down on the deck and hid her hands against her chest.  
But he ignored her temper in favor for trying to soothe her, so he reached over and pulled her back into his lap and carefully uncurled her hands before wrapping his own clawed fingers around them.  
“You will learn to control it, I promise.”

 

Reaching over he grabbed the small cutting board underneath the basket of fruits next to them and used a claw to easily cut a deep groove into the surface before taking her index-finger and doing the same using her nail.  
“See, my claws are every bit as sharp as yours and have I ever cut you with them?”  
Easily crushing one of the corners of the board he continued  
“With all this strength, have I ever hurt you?”  
She shook her head.  
“No, never...”  
“It will just take some time getting used to it.”  
She just nodded before something occurred to her.  
“But what about the entire feeding on sex thing? Won't I have to do that to live? I don't want to live by hurting others...”  
“Well, you will need to feed, there is no way to get around that. But by being careful about who you sleep with you can avoid killing anyone.”  
“Even if they can survive I don't want to hurt anyone...”  
“It's okay, the beast explained it. As long as your partner is able to _satisfy_ you with sexual energy, you won't hurt them by draining any of their life-force.”  
“So, stay away from bad sex and everything will be fine?”  
She asked with a laugh.  
“Pretty much.”  
The teasing smirk that accompanied his reply earned him the usual slap on the arm and hissed complaints about how horrible he was, only this time the slap actually hurt, a lot.  
It would seem lessons in control would be needed before they headed back, had he been a normal human she would have broken his arm.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“We definitely need to work on your strength.”  
“Oh, did I hurt you?”  
“It did hurt quite a bit. Had I been a regular human you would have broken my arm.”  
“Sorry...”  
“No need to be, you just need to learn to handle your new abilities. We will just stay here until you feel a bit more comfortable. I'll let Sumi know we will be delayed.”  
When she flashed him a smile he noticed another change, her dull, human, teeth had been replaced by small, but sharp, fangs and he couldn't help staring, and the sigh sent a thrill of heat through his body.  
“Take?”  
As she noticed his staring Emelie started squirming slightly.  
“You have fangs...”  
“I do?”  
She quickly started checking her own teeth which made him chuckle at her, specially when she managed to cut her finger on one of the sharp canines.  
“Oh, I guess I do.”  
“Em, please...”  
Takeshi held out his arms for her, beckoning her to come closer, to let him feel her fangs as well.  
“Please what?”  
There was a hint of teasing in her voice that told him she knew exactly what he wanted.  
“Are you really going to make me say it?”  
“Say what?”  
The teasing grew stronger, and was joined by a playful mock innocence.  
“Sweetie... Bite me!”

The teasing smirk rewarded him with a laugh before she pounced at him, this time managing to knock him down thanks to her new strength, then sank dainty fangs into his shoulder which almost pushed him over the edge.  
“Em, sweetie. You are using your powers on me.”  
He could feel something akin to a suggestion working on his will, fanning the fire within, it would seem he had seductive powers beyond the lust inducing toxin of her claws.  
“What? Powers?”  
The feeling instantly faded.  
“Mhm, it would seem you have seductive and lust inducing powers.”  
“Guess that makes sense if I'm a succubus.”  
“Before, when you cut me with your claws there was a lust inducing substance on them. And now you were using something that felt a lot like the suggestion that I use, telling me to desire you, to do anything to gain your favor.”  
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...”  
“I know you didn't sweetie, It's all new, we will figure it out.”  
He soothed her worries before giving her a wicked smile.  
“But for now, how about you see how fast you can push me over the edge with those new claws and fangs of yours?”  
“Hmm, sounds like fun.”  
It didn't take her long to push him over the edge, though he wasn't really fighting it.

“Take, why are you so sniffy?”  
They were sprawled among the pillows on the bow deck, catching their breath after the latest romp, there had been several in the past few hours, and Takeshi was sifting through the nuances of Emelie's new scent.  
“Your scent has changed, completely. So I'm trying to figure out your new scent.”  
“What did I smell like before?”  
“Like a flower meadow by the sea, ocean breeze and flowers, a fairly warm scent. And the scents for your emotions were those of a human.”  
“And now?”  
“Blue lotus and water lilies, a much colder scent, but I like it. And your emotions smell very different, arousal for instance smells like peppermint, annoyance adds a hint of camphor.”  
There was a distinct feeling of curiosity in her aura as she leaned in closer and took a sniff at his neck in return, giving him a sense for the scent to go with it.  
“You smell warm, and safe. A bit like wood...”  
“I have been told I smell like warm, dark wood and spicy musk.”  
“Sounds about right.”  
She took another deep sniff that made his senses tingle, it was a surprisingly intimate feeling to it.  
“I like it. And my sense of smell is definitely stronger now.”  
Takeshi found that he was happy she liked his scent, some instinct deep within telling him it was important that she did.  
“I like the taste even more though...”  
He sucked in a sharp breath when she licked his neck before slowly mowing downwards, only to curse softly at the sensation of fangs brushing against his most sensitive parts as she carefully took him into her mouth.  
The sensation of the sharp fangs in such a sensitive area was highly arousing and he quickly found himself on the edge again, but this time he fought it, he wanted more.  
_“Do you want me to bite?”_

The familiar carried her question and he was somewhat surprised to realize that he did, he wanted to feel the bite of her fangs so with a deep breath he gave her a soft nod before closing his eyes and leaning back.  
He was unsure how he would react to it, but he didn't want her to see too much of a negative reaction in case he didn't enjoy it.  
He very nearly yelped when the first bite was just a soft, teasing nip that only gave him a hint of the sharpness of her fangs, and he looked up at her with a frustrated glare.  
“You little tease...”  
_“I learned from the best.”_  
Her familiar did an excellent job of relaying her amusement and he rolled his eyes with a sigh before forcing himself to lie down again.  
The next bite was harder, just shy of drawing blood and it took everything he had not to buck and cut himself on the sharp fangs.

Emelie was feeling completely overwhelmed by everything that had happened, so she used Takeshi as a distraction, and the soft whine when she bit down on the heated, hard-but-soft flesh made her chuckle, and the vibrations rewarded her with another needy whine, which she rewarded with a softer nip.  
It would seem he was trying to resist her and not allow her to bring him to completion, and right now she was more than happy to play that game, the distraction more than welcome.  
She had quickly realized once stepping over the line into _Sex with Takeshi_ land that she wanted far more than just the occasional tryst, and it would seem she now didn't just want it, but actually needed it.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“We are going to have to explain to Ethan, aren't we?”  
Emelie sat curled into Takeshi's side as he maneuvered the catamaran out of the lagoon where they had spent the past 2 weeks, it had taken time, but Emelie was finally feeling ready to return to the island.  
“Yeah, we will. I always intended to if he turned out to be good. I just wanted to give him some time to get used to us first.”  
“Sorry...”  
“Sweetie, it's not your fault. We are what we are.”  
“And I seem to be one big disruption of your life and plans...”  
“One I don't mind. Makes life interesting.”  
Takeshi teased lightly while playing with her tail which earned him a huff, and the scent of peppermint.

He had taught her a lot about how to control her aura and power, and they had found that as long as she was well fed she had a much easier time keeping her new nature under control.  
With practice she had gained a certain level of control over her form as well, keeping her claws from being too sharp, so she was no longer unintentionally slicing things up, and was slowly learning to alter their appearance to look human.  
Getting used to the wings had taken a bit more effort, even while in their incorporeal form she was uncomfortable with anything touching them and even more so if anything touched the area around her shoulder-blades where they attached to her back.

The beast had explained that it was simply survival instinct, while the bones and tissue of the wings themselves was highly durable and easily healed, or even regrown, the structures where they connected to the back was surprisingly fragile and very hard to heal.  
Even a rather simple injury could take decades, even centuries, to heal and a more complex injury might never heal properly, costing them the power of flight.  
Many winged demons refused to even wear clothing that covered the area, even if they were able to completely fold or retract their wings.  
It had told Takeshi that the fact that she allowed him to touch the area at all spoke volumes about how totally she trusted him.  
Sleeping had been a bit of an adventure the first few nights as she was not comfortable with sleeping on her stomach and she was having a hard time with the sensations of her wings, but she had eventually managed to sleep on her side comfortably, folding one wing tight against her body and draping the other one across them, the feeling of it draped across his aura had been slightly unsettling at first but he quickly grew accustomed to the feeling.

She would still wrap her tail around his wrist, the contact seemed to help stabilize her energies, thankfully she had quickly learned how to keep it completely incorporeal so they would no longer get snagged or tangled.  
He had also found that her tail was very sensitive in a most _interesting_ way, especially the tip and being who he was he could not resist using that bit of knowledge to tease her, slowly dragging a claw along the edge of the spearhead shape would reward him with the scent of peppermint and snow.  
It didn't take much to tease her into pouncing him and returning the favor, and he found he did not mind such _distractions_...

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Take, Em, good to have you guys back again.”  
“Thanks Ethan, how have things been here?”  
“A bit empty now that the clearing is done, the next stage of the construction won't start for another month as we made really good time here.”  
Ethan greeted them as the catamaran entered the lagoon and he helped secure the mooring lines while they spoke.  
“Wow, Em, you really look a lot better. And you dyed your hair?”  
Looking closer at her Ethan started to look confused as he noticed her hair color wasn't the only change.  
“Ethan, we need to talk...”  
Emelie was the one to approach Ethan as they suspected Takeshi would make him a bit too nervous.  
“Those are never good words...”  
“Don't worry. It's not anything bad, not really, but it might be a bit... Well, a bit hard to wrap your head around.”

They gathered in the small makeshift garden outside the trailer home and Kasumi started preparing some food while Takeshi and Emelie spoke to Ethan.  
“As you already noticed I have changed, not just my hair color.”  
“It's longer, and your eyes, they are greener, but it doesn't look like contacts.”  
“It's not. I have changed. Turns out, my father wasn't human, and as a result, neither am I.”  
“But... You...”  
“I look human?”  
“Yeah...”  
“Not really though, this, this is not how I truly look, not anymore.”  
She took a deep breath and stepped away from the small sitting area before turning to face the others.  
“Now Ethan, there is a possibility that you will not be able to see her true form. Some human are unable to grasp, to accept the nature of demons, so to protect themselves, their sanity, they simply do not see.”  
Takeshi explained a bit to Ethan while Emelie focused on bringing out her true form, warning him about Emelie's seductive power.

“Wow, beautiful...”  
“Easy now Ethan, remember what we explained about her power?”  
Takeshi placed a clawed hand on Ethan's shoulder, but he was too enchanted by Emelie to notice the claws.  
“I remember. But you have to agree, she's beautiful...”  
“Indeed she is, she is magnificent.”  
Emelie was showing of her form while trying to keep her seductive power under control so it wouldn't affect Ethan too much, but she was still having a hard time separating her form, and her power.  
The more of her form she showed, the more of her power leaked, Takeshi's sheer willpower allowed him a certain resilience to it, but Ethan was defenseless.  
“Ethan!”  
Takeshi gave his shoulder a bit of a rougher shake when he started to lean in his seat and looked about ready to get up and move closer to Emelie.  
“Ouch..!”  
The pained yelp brought Ethan out of the slightly trance like daze and brought his focus to the claws biting into his shoulder.  
“You too?”  
Ethan sighed deeply while staring at Takeshi's hand.  
“You have always sensed it, that's why you have been so nervous around me. I'm not a demon like her though, I'm something else, and so is Sumi-chan.”  
“And what is that?”  
Takeshi just smiled and shrugged, promising he would explain soon.  
“Em, can you rein in your form again?”  
“I think so.”  
They had found that returning to appearing human was harder than releasing her demon form, she had gained a lot of power, and it would take time to learn to manipulate it.

“That's it sweetie, you did well.”  
Takeshi rewarded her with a kiss on the forehead as she returned to looking entirely human, he could still feel her tail around his wrist though, but he had gotten so used to that sensation that he barely noticed, she always did it whenever he was within range.  
Takeshi took the stage in her place and started showing of his own abilities, and explain a bit to Ethan about it.  
“So, what do you think Ethan. Can you handle living here, working with us, knowing what you know now?”  
“Honestly... I don't know... Can I at least get the night to think about it?”  
“Of course. Take as long as you need.”

Takeshi chuckled at the reaction, it told him that his first impression of Ethan was spot on, the young man would wallow for a few days, before deciding he could indeed handle it.  
On the surface Ethan appeared to be meek and unassuming, but there was strength in him, beneath the surface, and it was a well that ran deep.  
He was easily worried and would jump at his own shadow at times, but he didn't let his fear stop him from chasing his dreams, he was terrified of Takeshi at first, but he still came with them to the island without hesitation.  
That courage to chase after his dreams had earned him Takeshi's respect, after all, feeling no fear was foolishness, not courage, acting despite one's fears, that was courage.

The next morning when Ethan joined them for breakfast there was a grim determination in his aura, he clearly had already made his decision.  
“I see you have made up your mind.”  
“Yeah I have.”  
As always there was a nervous edge to Ethan's energy, but it wasn't as sharp as it had been when he first joined them, the way it was mixed with fear used to irritate Takeshi's aura, setting him on edge.  
Now it the fear was gone and it was more like a tickle, and he actually found the sensation to be somewhat invigorating.  
“Well go on, don't keep us in suspense.”  
The way Ethan startled made everyone snicker at him and tease him while they waited for him to find his nerve.  
“For some reason I feel safe here, despite you still scaring the crap out of me from time to time.”  
“I had a feeling that would be your answer.”  
Takeshi's teasing tone made Ethan blush slightly and grumble about him cheating.  
“You better never let anyone tell you that you lack courage.”  
Takeshi's praise made Ethan's blush deepen, and Emelie teased him for it.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Come on Em, you can do it!”  
Takeshi called out to encourage Emelie who was standing on the beach facing the trade wind with her wings spread, trying to get a feel for the wind.  
“Let your instincts guide you. Flight is in your nature.”  
“Yeah, maybe, but it's still scary as hell...”  
She snapped at him but he just smiled, he could feel her energy coil, she was ready to try again and moments later a few powerful beats of the wings stirred up a cloud of sand, then she emerged out of, steadily increasing her altitude.  
“I did it!”  
The triumphant cry was followed by a yelp as she lost her focus, and with it the demonic energy that was bolstering her lift, causing her to rapidly fall toward the ground.  
Fortunately her massive wingspan allowed her to glide fairly well even without the power, and Takeshi moved quickly to catch her.  
“See? I told you you could do it.”  
“Oh shush, where is my reward?”  
Takeshi could feel her seductive power rise as he leaned in and kissed her, the promised reward for achieving flight.  
He allowed her power to wash over him for a while before gently reminding her to rein it in.  
“How about we do some hand to hand lessons while your energy recovers?”  
Trying to fly used up a lot of her energy, but it was getting better each attempt, she still needed to feed daily though to maintain a semblance of control over her seduction.  
A somewhat distressed sound behind them made both of them huff and chuckle, Ethan was having a bit of a hard time with their frequent displays of intimacy, something both of them found to be quite amusing.

“Ethan, why don't you come join us?”  
Takeshi's teasing question made Ethan blush a brilliant red and splutter.  
“I.. But.. You..!”  
_“Take, be nice to the poor guy.”_  
Emelie silently gave him a gentle scolding before turning to Ethan.  
“He's teaching me hand to hand. What did you think he meant?”  
“Gha! You're horrible! Both of you!”  
Ethan complained, but he was laughing at the same time and did move closer to watch for a bit.

“Come here, I'll show you a few simple tricks that don't require a lot of strength or weight to pull off.”  
Takeshi offered to teach Ethan a bit of self defense.  
“I don't know... I really don't like fighting...”  
“Even more reason for you to learn to defend yourself then. Self defense isn't about fighting. It's about learning how to get away from fights.”  
Takeshi motioned for Ethan to sit down before dropping Emelie next to him.  
“I guess we might as well start from the very beginning, with understanding.”  
With practiced ease he folded his legs into seiza before bowing slightly to his _students_.

“Em, I don't know if your sensei actually brought this up with you, but I have seen that you have an understanding of what I am about to explain already so please bare with me.”  
“I'll try... You know how easily I bore...”  
Her tone was teasing and Takeshi scolded her gently for allowing her seduction to rise slightly.  
“Knowing how to defend yourself helps your presence, it adds a calm confidence to your aura that others instinctively sense.”  
“But Take, how do you know I have that? You have never seen me fight, have you?”  
“Remember those young males harassing you and the other passengers at the tram stop a few days before we met?”  
“Oh, yeah. That happened a lot so didn't even think about it. And you were playing the stalking raven then.”  
“Think back about all the situations you have gotten yourself into. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but most of the time people back down, even though you hardly look like a much of a threat?”  
She was silent for a moment before nodding.  
“Yeah, you're right, they did usually back down even if they were much bigger than me.”  
“That's because they could sense your confidence in your ability to defend yourself.”  
“I guess that could be it...”

When Takeshi felt he was done going through a few more philosophical points he moved on to testing both of them to see what exercises would be suitable, Emelie had a fairly high level of skill, but she needed to refine it and find the balance of her new body.  
She was much stronger and faster now, and he balance had changed due to the wings and tail, and she needed to get used to the changes.  
Ethan on the other hand was woefully unskilled, though thanks to his background as a swimmer he was in good physical condition and the muscles he had built had good flexibility and stamina.  
“Em, I want you to keep working on this kata until you feel comfortable and balanced when doing it.”  
“ _Hai Sensei!_ ”  
There was a slightly teasing edge to her voice, but her aura held true respect as she bowed to him before taking the starting position for the kata and slowly work through the positions.  
He watched her go through the entire kata once before nodding.  
“Remember to keep your rhythm, don't try to move faster even if you feel able.”  
“I'll try.”  
“Good.”

With Emelie working on her kata Takeshi turned to Ethan and motioned for him to step up.  
“Don't worry. I have excellent control, I won't harm you. I will however not hold back completely, if you give me an opening I will give you a painful lesson about protecting yourself.”  
“Yeah, I've heard the _No pain No gain_ pitch before.”  
Ethan's reply made Takeshi smile at him.  
“First we warm up though.”  
Emelie had already been well warmed up from her flight exercises.  
Once Takeshi was satisfied with their warm up he began to give Ethan instructions on how to do a basic shoulder throw.

“Ouch...”  
Ethan huffed and groaned as the strain of trying to throw Takeshi while his footing was off caused him to pull a muscle in his shoulder.  
“Easy, let me have a look.”  
Takeshi instantly stopped and moved Ethan's hand away from the area he was reaching for and put his own hands there, feeling the muscle twitch with pain under the touch, and he could feel heat starting to build in the damaged muscle.  
“Well, that's lessons over for now. Hopefully this will teach you to mind your footing.”  
“Yeah, whatever good that will do me...”  
“Ethan, you did well, you disrupted my balance with that last one, had your footing been proper you may just have been able to force me to change my footing and get a chance to get out of my reach.”  
“Yeah, and I had to pull a muscle to do it...”  
“Now now, it's a nice feat, I do weigh 170 kilo after all.”  
“Shit, that's like 340 pounds...”  
“375 actually.”  
“How is that even possible?”  
“Extreme density bones and muscle, even before I was changed, but the change made it more pronounced. It makes me far stronger and more durable than a human, but it also makes me a lot heavier than a human my size would be.”  
“But, you should be sinking down in the sand, and regular chairs shouldn't be able to withstand your weight...”  
”Normally, you would be right, but I use my power to counteract my weight in many ways, however when you try to throw me you are workinga gainst most of my true weight.”  
“One more more for the list freaky stuff I better just accept and move on from I guess.”  
“That's the spirit. Now sit down and I'll try to soften that muscle up a bit to keep it from cramping. Sumi will be down shortly with a nice ice pack for you.”

Once the muscle stopped twitching under his hands Takeshi followed his instincts and leaned in and dragged his tongue over the sore area.  
“Take!?”  
“Don't worry, it will help it heal faster and with less pain.”  
“Fine...”  
Ethan sighed, but relaxed and allowed Takeshi to do as he pleased, which earned him a soft, almost purring, growl.  
“Don't worry Ethan, that growl means he's pleased with how you respond to what he is doing.”  
Kasumi soothed Ethan's nerves as she explained Takeshi's actions while approaching with the cold gelpack, a crystal jar with salve and a towel.  
“My my, so protective...”  
She tutted and teased when Takeshi growled at her and snatched the items from her hands, instincts were telling him to keep Kasumi away from Ethan and to treat the injury himself.  
The scent of of the herbal salve brought back memories, it was the same concoction that Hisao had used on him when his body ached as a child.  
“Sorry, but this stuff may sting and itch a bit, but I promise it will feel much better after a while.”  
Takeshi worked the fragrant substance into Ethan's skin before handing him the towel and the cold pack.  
“I will put some more on tonight before you go to sleep.”  
“Okay... Thanks.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“This is a very interesting construction method.”  
Ethan had watched Takeshi work with avid curiosity.

Instead of excavating the area for building the sublevels, which would be a huge project, Takeshi had opted to use the Sanctuary crystals to build it.  
Their Hawaii home would have a massive underground structure, 3 full basement floors would house generators, waste management, water purification and long term storage both for food and other items.  
Using the crystals Takeshi had formed 3 shafts, in essence using them to convert the rock and soil into a crystalline structure that was extremely strong and durable, each shaft had a heavy duty cargo elevator, a small personnel elevator, and stairs just in case.  
He had just completed the bottom most floor that would house the generators and waste treatment facility, the two above it would become storage, using Sanctuary crystals to greatly increase the shelf life of food items.  
But right now he was taking a break, growing the crystals took a lot of focus, and he was showing Emelie how do make the raw crystals change their size and shape, she had already worked a bit on the crystals of the containers in the Mother's gift to her.

“Take, I have decided what I want study.”  
Emelie's sudden energetic burst almost made Takeshi jump.  
“Oh? So, what have you decided on?”  
“Design Engineering, and what's the English word... _Hållfasthetslära_... The study of material durability?”  
“Ah, I think they call it _Mechanics of Materials_ or _Strength of Materials.”  
“_ Mhm. And if She is okay with it I would add Jewelry Design as well. I could make some amazing custom pieces with this stuff.”  
“Sounds like a plan, let me know if you need any help with signing up, recommendation letters or anything like that.”  
He would let her do it on her own unless she asked him for help.  
“Well, even if I sign up for one of the online courses I will still need to attend some tests and lectures. So, would you be willing to fly me to for instance Cambridge or such a location? Or should I settle for one of the Universities here in Hawaii?”  
Her talk about settling for something easy to reach made him frown at her.  
“You will **not** settle for anything less than exactly what you want. I will fly you wherever you want to go, hotel rooms, anything. And please, don't restrict yourself to the distance courses only, if you want to attend full time I am more than happy to see to it.”  
“You need to be here to monitor the build, and I don't want to leave. Besides, I will need you to feed me regularly anyway.”  
“I can set you up with a nice place to live and drop by a few times every week to make sure you are well fed.”  
“No... I don't want that.”

There was a long silence before Emelie leaned into his side.  
“Take, I hope this is okay, but I have totally fallen for you.”  
Her voice was barely a whisper, but she might as well have yelled.  
“Of course it's okay sweetie.”  
He turned slightly and kissed her.  
“It's more than okay, it makes me very happy. Thank you...”  
He still couldn't make himself say the words, outright tell her he loved her, but he hoped she would understand anyway.  
It terrified him at times how much he had come to love her in such a short time, they may not be dantai, but deep inside he knew he would lose himself completely if something happened to her.  
The way she returned his kiss told him she did indeed understand, and accepted his lack for words, at least for now.  
The kiss was interrupted by Ethan's somewhat theatrical sigh telling them he was reaching his limit for how much of their intimacies he was comfortable with witnessing and they both broke the kiss with a teasing laugh that made Ethan huff at them.  
“Like I said, both of you are horrible.”

Only a week later Emelie approached Takeshi while he was in the small room that served as an office and study.  
“Take?”  
The soft knock at the door made Takeshi look up from the computer screen and call for her to enter.  
“What can I do for you sweetie?”  
“You mentioned you may be able to help me with a letter of recommendation.”  
“Ah, of course.”  
He moves slightly so she could fit one of the empty chairs next to him.  
“Which course do you need it for?”  
“The Jewelry design one. Since I don't have any art classes in my records or a portfolio to present I need something to offer.”  
“Ah, something to show you have a sense of style by their standards.”  
“Indeed.”  
Her reply was so utterly him he couldn't help laughing.  
“I guess there is some truth to what your mother always used to say. _Man blir som man umgås_.”  
The Swedish proverb spoke of how people would become like the company they kept.  
“So, how will we do this?”  
“We will go to Ginza, to the artisans who craft the finest jewelry for the great Ryujin families. They will test you, and they will no doubt give you their recommendations.”  
“Test me? But I don't know anything about jewelry design...”  
“You're not supposed to silly. It's not about testing your skill, it's about testing your ability to listen to the customer, your eye for balance and detail, and your willingness to learn. Things you all posses in great quantity, there is no doubt in my mind that you will pass and get your recommendations.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“ _Sweetie, are you okay?”_  
Takeshi gently bumped his head against her stomach, happy that the familiar made him able to talk to her despite being forced into his wolf form again to keep his identity hidden.  
_“Yeah, a bit nervous...”  
“No kidding... The scent makes my nose itch.”_  
He made a show of sneezing rather loudly which made a few of the patrons at the restaurant turn and look at them, some in amusement, others in disapproval.  
Fortunately Japan's laws regarding assistance animals had improved since he lived there and all assistance animals now enjoyed the same rights, including emotional support animals.

“ _But other than your nerves, how are you feeling?”_  
Takeshi was a bit concerned about the way her pheromones and seduction powers were fluctuating.  
_“I'm mostly okay. I'm having a bit of a hard time controlling my seduction, but I think it's because I'm nervous. Some kind of defensive instinct.”_  
Takeshi considered her words and found himself agreeing that it was a very probable reason, and when he reached within for the Beast it voiced its agreement as well.  
With her seduction slightly elevated any male within her range of influence would feel a strong urge to protect her and keep her happy.  
Takeshi was however developing a certain level of immunity to her influence, though his natural instinct to protect her was much stronger than the urge given by her power anyway, he just wouldn't be influenced by her whims.  
_“Ready for your internship?”  
“As ready as I'll ever be, and thanks again for the clothes...”_

They had spent the past week shopping around in Ginza, it had been hard to find clothes for Emelie that not only were suitable for business attire but also didn't cause her discomfort.  
She insisted that she would wear formal business attire, but the problem was that she was still very uncomfortable with anything touching the base of her wings, even when she had them retracted or incorporeal.  
On the third day Takeshi and Kasumi decided to take her to a youkai tailor and have something made for her.  
The tailor, who was of the heron family, more specifically, a white egret, had taken one look at Emelie's true form and quickly brought out various tops and jackets made for winged youkai.  
They were stiffer, a bit like a bodice, and had open backs with illusions woven into the fabric to make them appear as if they had a closed back and Emelie quickly fell in love with the design, which prompted Takeshi to order hr a wide selection of tops and jackets, as well as pants and skirts with a similar design for a hole for her tail.

As they arrived at the small jewelry store Takeshi watched Emelie with avid curiosity, it would be the first time she met a greater youkai and he was curious to see how she would react.  
The owner was an old _Tanuki_ , a Japanese raccoon dog, and like most of his kind he had a friendly, and curious, disposition as long as you didn't offend or threaten him, and a love for drinking and playing pranks.  
The Tanuki's curious nature had allowed them to adapt well to life in the modern world, their power of illusion and shape shifting allowing them to pass as human.

The moment they stepped into the shop Takeshi could feel the rise of youki from the old youkai and moments later Emelie's power began to rise to match, but she didn't push to overtake the power of their host.  
He watched silently as the Tanuki tested her, tasted her power, and after a while the youki stopped increasing as he reached his limit, Tanuki usually didn't have much youki, their strength was in how they used what they had.  
Emelie's power paused for a moment before slowly rising a bit further and settling at a slightly higher level, and when the old youkai let his power recede hers followed quickly.  
“Ah, you have power, and manners. Good good.”  
He motioned for them to join him in the small workshop behind the main store.

“Matsushita-sensei, I will leave Eriksson-sama and her guardian in you care.”  
Takeshi could feel Emelie's confusion at Kasumi's choice of honorifics, she would usually use -chan, or no honorific at all, when speaking to, or about, her.  
Takeshi quickly explained it was Kasumi's way of letting the jeweler know that she was held in high regard by the Kiryu.  
Kasumi excused herself and left Emelie in the care of the old Tanuki.  
“Eriksson-sama, today you will watch me work.”  
“Thank you Matsushita-sensei, but please, such a formal address makes me uncomfortable, so I would be grateful if you address me less formally.”  
“Of course, how would you prefer to be addressed?”  
“Just Em please, Matsushita-sensei.”  
“As you wish, Em-san. You may address me as Daiki-sensei.”  
“Thank you Daiki-sensei. I was really butchering your name, wasn't I?”  
“You did well for one who is not accustomed to Japanese names.”

Takeshi laid down and watched as Emelie watched Daiki work, and soon they drifted into a comfortable conversation where they both helped each other with the pronunciation of various words.  
Takeshi was immensely proud of how Emelie was handling things, she was respectful, attentive and modest, yet didn't hesitate to ask questions if there was something she didn't understand.  
From a Japanese cultural viewpoint she was behaving perfectly, and she had also responded very well from a demon cultural view as well, she had responded and shown her power without being rough or challenging about it, and it was obviously impressing Matsushita.

At the end of her 1 week internship with Matsushita she received a glowing letter of recommendation that Takeshi was sure would get her into any jewelry related program she wanted.  
“You did very well Em-san, this humble store would be honored if you would consider an apprenticeship once your studies are done.”  
“Thank you Daiki-sensei! I was fortunate to have such an amazing teacher and I would love to return here, I barely scratched the surface of your knowledge.”  
“It is always a pleasure to teach an apt pupil.”  
“A good teacher will turn any student into a quick learner.”  
Emelie quickly deflected the old Tanuki's praise back on him, showing that she understood the Japanese concept of humility fairly well.  
Youkai didn't have the same cultural humility though which told Takeshi that Emelie was being tested to see how well she picked up on subtle social cues.  
To be perceptive was an important trait for someone working with making custom wares to ensure a happy client.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Demon Within_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The moment they were back in the Blackout and Takeshi shifted back to his human form Emelie pounced him, the trip had been a bit of a test to see how well she handled irregular _feeding_ as well.  
They had only taken a short break during the weekend to give her an opportunity to feed on the sexual energy she needed and it had left her a tad _peckish,_ something she fully intended to rectify as soon as possible.  
The increase in her seductive power gave Takeshi an idea, something he had been curious about since her awakening.  
“Sweetie, do you think you could hold on until we get back home?”  
“I don't want to...”  
“Please, there is something I would like to try...”  
He dragged his claws along her tail, something he had learned was quite effective.  
“Hmm, what?”  
“I would like to know what it feels like to be under the thrall of your power when it's boosted by your hunger. To learn what your instincts would demand of me to satisfy your lust and appetite.”  
“But I can barely manage to influence you?”  
“That's because I'm resisting you in order to keep a clear head. I could give in to it, allow myself to be pulled along.”  
“But what if I try to make you do something you don't want to?”  
“I doubt you would, but if you do I can resist it, your power acts like my suggestion does, at least on me. It lacks the forceful edge of a command.”  
“Okay, I'll try”

Once the Blackout touched down they both rushed toward the master bedroom and the promise of relief from the strong sexual tension and anticipation that had built during the flight.  
While giving in to her power, Takeshi quickly found that she had an appetite for what could only be called _rough sex_ , her influence pushed him to be dominant, forceful and demanding and he could tell there was a clear edge of pain to her pleasure, more so than ever before.  
But that was something he was familiar with himself as he enjoyed quite a bit of pain with his pleasure himself, and part of him was pleased to find that she shared that appetite of his.  
He would have to have a new bed and bedding made though that was able to withstand their activities.  
“Take, when did we break the bed?”  
“About half an hour after we started...”  
“Guess I can strike that from my bucket list then...”  
“Oh, strike what from the list?”  
_“Knulla sönder en säng...”  
_ He wasn't sure about the exact translation of her words, but he could tell they were on the crude  
side.  
“Em, language...”  
He scolded her with a teasing tone and she huffed back at him in a very similar tone.  
“Prude...”

 


End file.
